Opalescence Read online

  In a few moments, he appeared with a cup of coffee in each hand. He’d changed his shirt. Placing the cups on the picnic table, he moved a smaller table in front of her, set their cups down on it, and settled into the chair beside her. Leaning his broad shoulders toward her, he studied Cassie’s sleeping face. Then he glanced at LynAnn, smiled and spoke softly. “She’s beautiful. How old is she?” His azure eyes did a slow sweep over LynAnn’s face.

  Intimidated by his scrutiny of her, she whispered, “Thank you. Cassie’s three and a half.” She bowed her head. When she agreed to coffee, she didn’t realize he planned to join her. She certainly didn’t want to share the porch with him. Because of her past experience with him, his close proximity made her uneasy.

  Sensing her discomfort, he reached for his coffee cup, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was silent for a time and then inquired, “You’re okay, aren’t you? I mean, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  He seemed genuinely concerned. What a surprise. Did the man actually have feelings? In his office four years ago he’d listened patiently to her allegations and promised to check into her claims immediately. But she never heard from him again. “I’m fine,” she replied. “How ’bout you?”

  Leaning forward he took a sip of his coffee and then chuckled, “Fine, although when I saw how small you were, I couldn’t believe the fight you had in you. You’re one feisty lady, like a 5.7 liter Hemi engine.” His dark eyes swept over her face once more, and once more she avoided them.

  She had no idea what he was talking about and refused to acknowledge his compliment, if that’s what it was. “I’ve decided we’ll leave this morning as soon as my kids are up. I think I’ve done enough damage around here.” Although she’d just made the decision, she felt it would be best to leave as soon as possible. Not only because she’d made a fool of herself thinking he was a burglar or worse yet, a serial killer, but because of the callous man himself. She had no idea how he got elected to the DA position; the man was cruel and didn’t know the meaning of empathy.

  Leaning nearer, he forced eye contact. “Oh, please don’t,” his tone sincere as his blue eyes locked with hers. “To say we got off to a bad start is putting it mildly, but my son will be thrilled when he sees your children and besides, I want you all to stay and enjoy yourselves.”

  She considered what he said, but shook her head. “No, thank you. I have to leave this evening anyway. I have work tomorrow morning at St. Luke’s Hospital.” Part of her really didn’t want to leave yet. Her children would be so disappointed, but she didn’t want to face the famous district attorney again. This was the first vacation her family had in years, and because of him it had turned into a fiasco.

  “Please don’t go,” his voice pleaded as he leaned closer, and then a big grin spread over his lips. “I promise I won’t sneak around like Jack the Ripper if you promise to holster your gun.”

  Despite herself, she burst out laughing and then remembered Cassie on her lap and clamped her hand over her mouth.

  A hearty laugh also erupted from deep within his chest, and he squeezed his lips together to quiet himself. “Our fight was right up there with Ali and Frazer. I wonder which of us was Ali and which was Frazer?” He hushed his voice.

  Despite her misgivings about the man, LynAnn did find a hint of humor in their scrap, especially the part where he lay slumped over the sofa bloody and battered. She tried to suppress a smile, but failed. “Okay, Ali. I’ll stay.” She would spend her time on the beach with her children and avoid any contact with the man. Besides, why should she run? She’d done nothing wrong. Anyone would have assumed he was an intruder, a thief. She would tolerate his presence for one day for her children’s sake.

  “That a girl.” He smiled and the corners of his ocean-blue eyes crinkled once more, managing to enhance his good looks. “Don’t you and Jean work together at the hospital?”

  Four years ago, Kelley had been sitting behind his desk wearing a dark business suit, but now his tight jean shorts and T-shirt exposed his muscular athletic arms and legs. Most women would be captivated by the good looking man’s attention, but she wasn’t. She knew better. “I only work occasionally at the hospital now. I work full time at a doctor’s office.” She corrected him as she cuddled her sleeping daughter and avoided looking in his direction.

  “With two children you must be a busy woman.”

  “Yes, Mr. Kelley,” she responded tersely, not wishing to engage in conversation with this man who had no recollection of their previous meeting. He was the head honcho of Delta County, but as far as she was concerned he was not qualified to be the head of a garbage detail.

  “By the way, it’s Jeff and may I call you LynAnn?” He paused to wait for her nod. “Is your husband a stay-at-home dad? Does he watch the kids while you work?”

  “There’s no husband in the picture. The kids usually go to daycare, but this summer, sometimes a teen sits with them, so they can stay at home.”

  He considered her remark for a time before he replied. “That sounds pretty rough on both you and your children. I guess I’m fortunate. I have a housekeeper, and my parents live nearby and help with Jon when they can.”

  “You are lucky. My adoptive parents are both gone now. Somewhere though, I do have a birth mother, but I’ve been searching for years for her with no success. I have my info on every web site I can find, but haven’t had any luck.” She wished his questions would stop. She’d revealed more of her personal life than she wanted to share with him and now they were on a first name basis.

  “I’m sorry. Searching for your birth parent must be frustrating.”

  She nodded. Ever since she gave birth to her own children, the need to find her birth mother had become paramount. She needed to know what desperate circumstances forced a mother to give up her child, and although her adoptive parents were wonderful, an empty void always filled her heart.

  LynAnn tried to shift her daughter’s position so she could lift her and carry her back to the loft, but each time she tried the girl whined in protest, giving her no choice but to share the porch with Delta County’s famed prosecutor. He must have gotten the idea she didn’t wish to engage in conversation and quietly sat beside her content to sip his coffee.

  The sweet scent of wild roses drifted in the air and the sound of a lone hoot owl in the distance soon changed to morning chatter as the sun peeked over the horizon. In the tall pine trees behind the cabin, birds began their morning song.

  “More coffee?” he offered when he’d emptied his cup.

  “No, thanks.” She refused and continued to rock her daughter.

  He silently emptied his second cup of coffee as the sun cleared the horizon and washed them in the warm, sparkling rays of a new day. Despite the man beside her, she had to admit being at the cabin was tranquil. It felt good to be away from her usual routine of sick patients and housework.

  A noisy clatter broke their solitude when her son, Matt, scampered to the porch and dumped a bag of miniature race cars on the floor. Jeff’s son trailed behind him, and both boys sprawled out on the floor. Vibrating their lips like varooming motors, they raced the tiny cars. The noise woke Cassie, and she sprang off her mother’s lap, gathered her chubby hands full of cars, and sped off the porch with them. Waving and whooping threats of bloody murder, the boys chased after her.

  With a shrug, she glanced at the handsome man. “Looks like it’s going to be a busy day. Still want us to stay?”

  He threw back his head, gave a deep masculine laugh. “I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.”

  LynAnn had her doubts.

  Chapter 2

  It was a perfect day to be at the river. The hot sun’s rays glinted off the lazy stream, and trout leaped out at unsuspecting dragonflies to grab a snack. LynAnn’s son, Matthew, squealed with delight when Jeff hoisted him onto his wide shoulders and waded far out into the warm water. “Mommy, I’m swimming in the deep water.” Her handsome towhead ha
d a huge grin plastered on his face.

  Reaching the beach again, Jeff didn’t have a chance to lower Matt from his shoulders before Cassie sprang to her feet and stretched her arms up to him. “Me next.” She bounced on her pudgy bare feet. “Me next.”

  “You’ve really started something.” Amused, LynAnn sat on a blanket on the beach and watched.

  Lowering Matt, he swung the small girl on his shoulders. “Who could resist this pretty little girl? She’s beautiful just like their mother. I’m putty in her hands.”

  Keeping her gaze focused on the river, she chose to ignore his offhand compliment. When the children finally tired of the game, Jeff grabbed a towel and sat on her blanket with her. He stroked briskly at his well-built body, but his motions ceased abruptly when he swiped over his face. Then with a grimace, he gently patted at the scratches on his cheek.

  “I’m sorry about your cheek,” she apologized.

  “I had a heck of a time shaving around my battle scars this morning, but how I’m going to explain it at work is another story. I guess I could start with…When I was out in the wilderness, I met up with a lioness protecting her cubs from danger…”

  LynAnn laughed a soft melodic twitter. “Do you think they’ll believe you?”

  “Not at all,” he chortled. “But I don’t think they’ll believe the truth either.” He rose to his feet. “I want to take a swim.”

  She found it impossible to peel her eyes from him as he waded into the river and dived in. His chest was wide and muscular with biceps to match; he cut through the water with strong, powerful strokes. No wonder he overtook her so easily the previous night. Their skirmish did not describe a bout between Ali and Fraser as he thought. Instead, it was more like a mismatch between Goldilocks and Goliath. Even with her self-defense class she’d never stood a chance. One thing was very clear though, from his actions with his son, he doted on the boy. In fact, he enjoyed being with all the children.

  “Dad, can I show Matt our cave?” Jeff’s son, Jon, had the same deep blue eyes as his father.

  His dripping body glistening in the sun, Jeff turned to her before he agreed. “It’s around the bend, and they can’t get hurt.”

  She nodded her approval, and the two boys raced off.

  Jeff toweled his hair and then raked his fingers through it in an attempt to arrange his thick brown locks. Bending his knees, he spread his towel on the sand and belly flopped on it like a lazy sea lion waiting for the tide. He closed his eyes and by his deep breathing a few minutes later, he had fallen asleep.

  LynAnn found she couldn’t keep her eyes off his muscular legs. In her occupation, she was used to seeing men’s bodies, young or old, clad or unclad, but she had to admit Jeff’s build was a tribute to the male species. He possessed the perfect masculine musculature without an ounce of fat. Okay. He looks good. So what? She chastised herself.

  When the boys returned, an excited Matt raved about the cave. “It was dark and spooky, and we met a ranger.”

  Perhaps Jeff wasn’t asleep after all. He hastily sprang to a sitting position and his brows knitted. “You mean a forest ranger was at the cave?”

  “Well, not at the cave, a little further away and he asked us our names,” his son replied.

  “What was his name?”

  The boys shook their heads in unison. “He didn’t say, but he had on a ranger suit,” Jon recalled, “and he had a big pack on his back with an antenna sticking out of it.”

  Gazing at the river’s bend, Jeff frowned and rose to his feet. “When the rangers are nearby, they usually drop in for a visit. I’m going to take a walk down there.” He clenched his lips into a tight line and then jogged off along the river bank.

  The boys splashed in the water. Cassie filled sand pail after pail and then emptied them on the beach in no particular arrangement. The boys’ lips vibrated with revving engines once more as they carved roads and tunnels in the sand for their miniature cars to navigate. Cassie kept busy filling her pails as though she’d discovered her true calling in life.

  After what felt like a long time, Jeff returned. “I kicked out a few rabbits but didn’t find any man.” His brow furled as if the ranger’s appearance worried him.

  “He probably had work to do and moved on.” LynAnn could find no reason for his concern.

  He glanced in the direction of the cave and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess you’re right.” Then deftly dropping his big body to his knees, he turned his attention to the boys and their cars.

  Having his cabin invaded by a woman and her rambunctious youngsters didn’t seem to bother him, yet LynAnn felt guilty for occupying the man’s private space. “I’m sorry we barged in on you, but Stu assured me your cabin would be vacant.”

  His motion with the cars ceased, and he leaned back on his heels to make eye contact with her. She couldn’t pry her eyes from his piercing gaze. “You didn’t barge in on me, I barged in on you. Sometimes circumstances occur, and we have no control over them. We’re here together, and however it happened, I’m very pleased it did.”

  His gaze held hers, and he waited for her response. She ripped her eyes from his and grabbed Cassie’s hand. His declaration made her uncomfortable, and she wanted out of his sight. “Let’s go to the cabin, Cassie. I need more sunscreen.”

  But avoiding the handsome man proved difficult. A while later, LynAnn decided to start lunch, but before she carried the second tray of food to the picnic table, Jeff appeared and offered his help. “I’ll fire up the grill,” he announced.

  “Fine, thank you,” she replied, her gaze fixed on the table.

  When their burgers were prepared, they sat around the picnic table to enjoy their meal. Jeff and his son sat on one side and she and her children on the other. Across the table, she felt his eyes studying her. After a few man-sized bites into his burger, his question finally came, and it was personal. “LynAnn, I assume you’re divorced?”

  She felt uneasy, and her body bristled. The topic was much too personal. “No, my husband died.” Her head bowed, and her heavy lashes hid her eyes. “It’s been almost four years now.”

  Jeff’s eyes narrowed to a squint. “Four years?” He seemed confused. “But you said Cassie’s only three and a half.”

  “Um hum,” she agreed, scooping potato salad onto her plate. “I was three months pregnant when he died,” she sighed, wishing his cross examination would end. She didn’t talk about her past. Even Jean and Stu, her closest friends, knew very little about her.

  True, little children did have big ears, and her son, Matt hadn’t missed a word. “My daddy’s in heaven. His car crashed, didn’t it, Mom?” he piped in.

  Head bowed and eyes aimed downward on her plate, LynAnn nodded. “Yes, an accident.”

  Now Jeff’s son got into the conversation. “In heaven?” Jon repeated the words as if he didn’t quite understand. “My mommy’s not in heaven. Where is she, Dad?”

  Jeff shifted his position as if he didn’t care for the subject. “I don’t really know, Jon,” he replied with a slow shake of his head. “Last time, I heard she was in Las Vegas.”

  “That’s in Nevada,” Matt proudly added the information. They laughed at the boy’s declaration, and the conversation lightened.

  LynAnn smiled at her smart little boy. “Matt goes to a special school for gifted children.”

  “Wow,” Jeff gasped. “How impressive. You must be very smart, Matt.”

  “Yes. I am,” the boy answered matter-of-factly with no hint of boastfulness.

  “He’s very smart,” LynAnn added proudly. But the tuition at his school was very expensive. She volunteered for the extra work at St. Luke’s because holiday shifts meant double time pay and she saved every penny she could to cover the costs at his school.

  After lunch, LynAnn and Cassie went back to the river while Jeff took the boys downstream to fish. Cassie, wearing her favorite princess T-shirt, filled sand pails while she sat next to her daughter mesmerized by the slow sway of the river.
She was still puzzled by Jeff’s concern over the boys meeting a forest ranger. A few times she’d noticed a scowl on his face as he glanced around his secluded property as if he were watching for someone.

  ****

  Jeff soon discovered fishing with two six-year-old boys was quite a challenge. He kept busy untangling lines and baiting hooks. “Let some more line out, Jon… Matt, you have a bite, give your line a jerk.” Matt gave his line a hard jerk. So hard it flew out of the water and whizzed past his face like a speeding bullet. “This entire Johnson family is out to scar my face,” he muttered to himself.

  Much to his relief, the energetic boys soon tired of fishing. “Let’s catch some minnows,” Jon suggested to the other boy. “We need some cups.” Without reeling in their lines, both lively boys dropped their rods on the bank and tore off to the cabin for cups. Jeff gathered up their rods, fished for a while, and then parked himself on the beach while the boys scurried along the shoreline yelling and splashing with Styrofoam cups in their hands. He was certain they wouldn’t snag any minnows. The boys made such a commotion every fish within a mile had hidden under a rock.

  He scanned the beach and a distance away, LynAnn lounged on the sand with her daughter. Stu had mentioned the woman from time to time, but he found it odd he’d never met her. Flipping his sunglasses to the top of his head, he stole a peek at her again. She wore a modest light blue swimsuit, but it failed to hide her sexy little body. The sunlight danced off the blonde highlights in her hair. He was too far away to hear, but he could tell by her expression she was laughing. He liked her laugh. It reminded him of a joyful song mixed with the purr of a well-tuned engine which was pure music to his ears.

  Last night during their scrap, he assumed she was a kid in his arms until he accidentally rubbed against her breasts, and then there was no denying she was all woman. A short, little woman though. He was five ten, and she had to tilt her head back to look at him. He guessed she was around five feet tall. It was hard to believe she’d given birth to two children. Her body was exactly the way he liked a woman…and cars. Nice chassis, nice headlights, and a good rear suspension. She was all woman, only a compact version, like a Madza Miata. Her honey brown, curly hair fell past her shoulders and last night it had been in complete disarray. Most women would have been fussing to put it in order, but she didn’t. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman. Miata, definitely a sleek little MX-5 Miata sports car.