Legacy Reclaimed by Robin Patchen

Author:Robin Patchen [Patchen, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JDO Publishing

Chapter Twenty

Chelsea trembled. An ice cream cone. Nothing else. But the angry words, the angry crowd… Thank God Dylan had been there.

She glanced at him. His gaze was forward, his knuckles white on the steering wheel as he maneuvered through the parking lot.

“Thank you for—”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It wasn’t your fault. That kid—”

“Not for that. For the…” He swallowed, didn’t glance her way. “It won’t happen again.”

Oh. The kiss. His lips had barely brushed hers, so she wasn’t sure it could even be called a kiss. And it wasn’t as though she’d pushed him away. In fact, everything in her had wanted to draw closer.

And then he’d protected her. Gotten her safely back to the truck.

A wave of affection and desire skimmed her like a warm breeze. Except… what had he said?

It wouldn’t happen again.

Fine, then.

She’d never asked if he had a girlfriend. Or, maybe he was one of those married men who couldn’t be bothered with a ring.

No. That didn’t seem right. And, in all the time they’d spent together, surely a woman’s name would have come up.

She studied him, tried to guess what he was thinking. A fruitless activity, to be sure. “I’m not saying I disagree,” she said. “We barely know each other. Though the time we’ve spent together…” Where was she going with this? She should just shut up. But they had spent a lot of time together, eaten multiple meals together, gotten shot at together… It seemed equivalent to a few dates, anyway. Not that she’d been thinking along those lines, not until he’d kissed her.

Right. She’d only imagined him as a Scottish warrior, kilt and all. Because she was starved for love and affection. Ridiculous woman.

A muscle in his cheek pulsed.

“What are you thinking?” There, that was a simple question, and it didn’t reveal too much.

“I let myself get distracted. It won’t happen again.” He stopped at the main road. “Do you know where Laura Blanchette lives?”

“Of course.”

He tapped the wheel with his fingers.

“Turn left.”

He did, and, except for her occasional directions, they drove in silence.

A few minutes later, Chelsea said, “Turn into this one,” and pointed at Mrs. Blanchette’s driveway. Chelsea hadn’t been here in years, not since before Daddy died, before she’d been shipped off to school in England. The trees surrounding the property seemed taller, the bushes that lined the front of the house larger. Otherwise, the two-story Colonial hadn’t changed much over the years.

“How long were she and your mom friends?”

“As long as I can remember,” Chelsea said. “She has a daughter who’s mentally ill. She’s been institutionalized as long as I’ve known the Blanchettes. I think Daddy and Mum helped pay for her care. I think it was because of the daughter that the Blanchettes divorced, though I can’t be sure.”

“How long has she been on the board?”

Chelsea thought back. “I don’t know. A long time.”

When he parked, she didn’t wait for him to come around but hopped from the truck and started toward Mrs. Blanchette’s door. Her foot hurt, but she managed.

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