Tea & Comfort (Madrona Island Series Book 2), page 15
Luke knocked softly. No response. A cold sweat dripped down his back, propelled by the dark thoughts flashing through his mind. Would he find her passed out inside like Jude had found her last year? He pounded the door a bit louder.
“Kyla,” he shouted. “It’s Luke.”
Finally, the door cracked open. Luke caught his breath. Kyla’s eyes were swollen and red. She looked right past him as if he weren’t there.
“Luke,” she said. “What is it?”
He stepped closer to the door in case she tried to close it. “Can I come in?”
She leaned on the doorframe. “I don’t think so.”
“My love,” he whispered, making her look up. “I know my brother was here and I know the damage he can do.”
Her sigh tore at his heart. “It doesn’t matter, Luke,” she said. “I’m tired of fighting everyone and everything. Please go away and let me sleep.”
She tried to shut the door, but Luke caught it with his hand. “You’re not rid of me that easily. I’ll wait on the couch while you sleep. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll talk.”
Kyla looked up. Her emerald eyes reflected back a deep hurt. Luke could kill Stefan. He reached his arms out and she fell into them. He stroked her hair and held her close.
“Let’s go inside,” he said. Luke walked her into the bedroom and helped her into bed. “Take a little nap and you’ll feel better soon.” He tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Thanks, Luke.”
“Just close your eyes now,” he said. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Luke watched as Kyla curled into a ball and shut her eyes. Her breath slowed and her face finally softened. At least for the moment she was peaceful.
***
Kyla opened her eyes. Why was she in bed in the middle of the day? Then it all came back to her. Stefan’s slick smile and cutting words. He knew just where to shoot his arrows and do the most damage. Kyla thought she’d finally accepted her past and put it behind her with all the fears and insecurities that went with it. She’d clawed her way to the top for the power, success, money, and acceptance only to find it empty up there, as shallow as the airbrushed images of her on the slick magazine covers.
Finding love in Luke’s eyes when they first met only made her fears deepen. He would never love her if he knew who she really was.
Stefan had cleverly reminded her of that this morning. He’d stalked into the shop while she was working and circled her like a shark going in for the kill.
“I never would have recognized you,” he said. “You’ve really let yourself go.”
His malignant energy shot at her like a harpoon. Kyla’s hand flew to her throat. She was underwater, unable to breathe.
He stepped closer and leaned over her. Kyla caught a whiff of whiskey on his breath. The smell burnt her nose and her mind flashed back to being in the cabin with her father when she was young. Her dad was passed out on the sofa, bottles all over the floor, and she was alone there with him in the middle of the woods. She’d hid in her small bed under piles of covers, trying to get warm while her stomach screamed for food.
There’d been no one to rescue her then and no one now. She steadied her breath and pulled protective light around her body. Kyla stepped around him. “I see you look just the same.”
His laugh grated against her nerves. She retreated behind the counter to put a barrier between them.
“You obviously belong in this quaint little place,” he said. “But do you really think you’re going to pull my brother into this sweet dream with you?”
“I’m not pulling your brother anywhere he doesn’t want to go.”
Stefan leaned on the counter. “With your past, do you really think you’ll ever fit in with our family? Do you think my father will ever give Luke his inheritance if he marries you? And with no father, who will walk you down the aisle?”
The shaking had started in her legs, working up until her whole body trembled. Her father’s death still haunted her. Some distant family from his Iroquois tribe took away the remains. It was not a story her family ever repeated. She looked at Stefan with his dark aura. Nothing was sacred to him. His calculated words had hit their mark, and Kyla had shown him to the door and then run and collapsed into her bed.
Was that only this morning? It had been so easy to fall into old patterns. She sat up in bed and reminded herself she was not the seventeen-year-old girl who ran away from home anymore. And she was not alone. Tea & Comfort was a solid business that she loved running, and it financially supported her. Kyla looked at the hand-painted silk scroll on the wall beside her bed. She’d bought it last year at the summer crafts festival because it had one her favorite quotes pasted on it from the mystic Meister Eckhart. Kyla whispered the words aloud: “If the only prayer you said in your life was thank you, that would suffice.”
Gratitude shed light on the dark corners of her fear and chased it from her mind and heart. She had so much to be grateful for. Luke. How many women lost and found their soulmate and had the chance to live their dream with him? She had her amazing friends and a family that loved her. A home and thriving business. The list grew and grew and with it so did her mood. Stefan was but a blip in a peaceful stream.
She heard Luke rustling through some magazines in her living room. He had waited while she slept. That was the true reality in her life. Kyla slipped out of bed and splashed water on her face in the bathroom.
“How you feeling?” Luke asked.
Kyla turned to see Luke watching her from the doorway. “Much better.”
Luke’s smile brightened her heart. “How about some tea?” she suggested.
The ritual of making tea always comforted her. She poured the boiling water in her favorite dragonfly teapot and placed a calming mixture of chamomile, rose buds, lemon balm, and lavender into the pot. The sweet, flowery smell filled the room. Kyla placed the teapot and iridescent porcelain mugs on the oak dining table.
“Join me,” she said with a smile.
“Anytime and anywhere,” Luke replied.
As they sipped their tea, everything came back into focus. Kyla had let Stefan’s words pierce deep into her heart and soul, and she could expel them just as easily. Every setback had its lessons.
“Do you want to talk about my brother’s visit?” Luke asked.
“I do,” she said. “Some of what he said made sense, and I want to get some clarity between us before I put it all behind me.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Luke said. “I’m pretty sure Stefan’s reality and ours are very far apart. He left the island and is out of our lives.”
“But he’s still your brother,” she said. “And he is so lost.”
Luke sighed. “I know.”
“One thing Stefan said is that you’ll lose your inheritance if you marry me. Is that true?”
Luke placed his hand over hers. “Absolutely not. I have no interest in my family’s money and all the strings that go with it. I made that clear to them when I left New York. The trust my grandmother’s left for me is what I used to buy the winery, and it is more than enough for the lifestyle I plan here with you.”
“It isn’t just the money, Luke. Those tabloids can spin my background any way they want and blow our marriage up into a big scandal that affects your family. What if your winery business is damaged? I couldn’t stand that.”
Luke leaned over and held a finger to his lips. “What other people think is not going to affect us unless we let it.”
Kyla knew he was right. All the darkness swirling around Stefan came from his own fears. And she knew all about that. She had vowed to turn her life around, and now was the time to take action. “If we decide to put the truth out first, neither Stefan nor anyone else can threaten us with it ever again. It’s time to stop running…for both of our sakes.”
“You’re right,” he said.
“Every word Stefan said to me cut to the core,” Kyla said. “I want to tell you everything about my past so there will be no surprises in the future.”
“You don’t have to, Kyla.”
“There are things I don’t want you finding out from Stefan or in some tabloid.”
Luke took a few sips of tea then laid the cup back on the table. “I know more than you think. My father had you investigated when we first got engaged. I tore up the report without reading a page, but he taunted me with its contents.”
Heat rushed though Kyla’s veins. Of course her tracks were not that well-covered. Large amounts of money and persistence could reveal her past if someone really wanted to know. She was lucky Luke’s father hadn’t made it public. That probably would have been his next move if Kyla hadn’t conveniently disappeared.
“Do you think he put Stefan up to this visit?” she asked.
Luke shook his head. “No, Stefan is quite capable of doing this all on his own.” He placed his hand over hers. “I’m sorry about my family.”
“And I’m sorry about mine,” Kyla said.
They looked at each other and laughed.
Kyla squeezed his hand. “Mostly I’m sorry I hid them from you. I can see now, like most teenagers, I blamed my family for everything. I was ashamed of where I came from. But even after I ran away to Europe, changed my name, and my lifestyle, I still never felt like I fit in.”
“We came from complete opposite upbringings,” Luke said, “yet I felt just the same. I never fit into that mansion with those people, and certainly not Harvard. And the harder I tried to fit in somewhere, the more depressed I got.” His gaze was sincere. “Until I met you. You looked right through me, saw everything I am, and still loved me.”
A tear fell down Kyla’s cheek and she wiped it away. “When we first met, I saw a golden boy from a wealthy family. Everyone at that shoot was posing in designer wear, a glass of fine wine in hand, yet they all seemed so vacant…except you. Our eyes met and it took my breath away. I recognized a fellow runner and realized we’d always been running toward each other.”
Luke pulled her into his strong arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in his musky scent.
“Kyla,” he whispered into her hair. He lifted her face to his and kissed her deeply. “Thank you for finding me.”
“I almost ran, you know.”
“That first night we met?”
She nodded.
“What made you stay?” he asked.
“I never felt totally safe as Darcy Devereau. Exposure seemed always just around the corner. And there you were, the son of the upper crust, part of a family that would never, ever want their son with a woman like me. Being with you was the ultimate risk, but your eyes said, ‘Save me,’ and I knew you would save me too.”
“You’re always safe with me,” he said.
Kyla threw up her hands. “Let’s throw safety to the wind.”
“Your smile looks almost witchy. In a good sort of way,” Luke said. “I love watching your mind work. Tell me your diabolical plan.”
She leaned forward. “We’ll beat him at his own game and get the news out first, exactly where and how we want it. I’ll call my agent and tell her it’s a go with Celebrity Magazine and to follow up with the Lupus Society.”
“Are you up to this?” Luke asked.
Kyla jumped out of her seat. “More than up to it. I feel better than I have in a long time. We could talk about my illness and my running away. About how our love was lost and how we found love again. Maybe we could get in the Valentine’s issue.”
Luke stood and faced her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “And you?”
She heard Luke take a deep breath. “Once everything is out, there would be no more speculating, nothing more to run from. Those who love us will accept everything and no one else matters.”
“You’re so right,” she said.
“How do we start?” Luke asked.
Kyla clapped her hands. “Leave it to me. Arlene’s daughter is one of their top reporters.”
“In that case,” he said, “I’ve got some work waiting for me at the winery. How about I pick you up later for dinner?”
She was so lost in thought she didn’t even realize he’d said anything.
“Kyla?” he said.
She focused her gaze on him from a very faraway place. Visions filled her mind and she was ready to make them come true.
“Dinner it is, Luke. I’ll make my roasted chicken with herbs and we’ll eat in. Just the two of us.”
“Good choice,” he said.
Luke opened the door to leave. She noticed her words stopped him momentarily.
“I’ll finally be free,” she said softly.
***
Luke parked his truck near the house. The barren vineyards were beautiful in the afternoon light. He walked along the muddy paths, assessing if it was time to start cane pruning. He let the conversation with Kyla run through his mind. Part of him was ecstatic that the truth would come out. They would never be in peace until it did. What worried him were his father and Stefan. How far would they go to spin this story in their favor? Luke was sure beyond a shadow of doubt that his marriage to Kyla would not tarnish the family name or business. If anything, there might be some morbid curiosity from the press, but it would pass quickly.
The shiny green tractor sat protected in the barn, waiting for spring when the fields would be bursting with color. The red wine lingered in oak barrels after it had fermented in bins. In the spring, the vines would fill in with wide leaves. Luke could imagine a couple of kids running through the field, chasing a big dog, and Kyla by his side. The house was more than large enough for a family. They had not discussed children yet. Luke did not want to add any more pressure to Kyla. He longed for kids of his own, but if Kyla’s illness prevented it, so be it. A light drizzle moistened his cheeks. Acres of vineyards, trees, and fields lay before him. It was just as he’d always dreamt it. And soon Kyla would be his wife and the dream would be complete.
He could hear his father’s voice in his head. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Life is about suffering. We don’t always get what we want, Luke. It’s time to grow up and be a man.”
That had been his father’s tactic when he wanted Luke to join him in the family business. Luke had wanted his father’s approval, but not at the expense of his own soul. If his father saw how happy he was here on the island with Madrona Island Winery, would it make any difference? Dream on, Luke, he told himself. Dream on.
A cold wind rushed through the cedars, engulfing him in its force. Dark clouds billowed ominously in the sky. There would be no working outside today. In the distance, a dog howled. Luke hoped to heck the owner brought the dog inside on a day like this. He thought about Zinger, the dog Betty had adopted. He certainly was well-cared for. And smart. If the cutie wanted to be picked up, he leaped straight up until Betty caught him in mid-air. And he loved his tiny tennis balls and would retrieve them for hours. Luke’s warm hearth was a perfect place for a dog to stretch out and nap. He could make a difference for one dog today. And he would.
Luke jumped in his truck and followed the main highway to MIAR. Madrona Island Animal Rescue, affectionately referred to as MIA by the locals. It was where Betty volunteered, and they’d had some good-looking dogs on their Christmas float.
He blew in through the doorway of the lobby and was greeted at the desk by a volunteer. “I’d like to see your dogs that are up for adoption,” he said.
The man brought Luke back to the kennel area. Each dog had a cement area and a small sheltered portion to curl up in behind it. But the wind and rain could easily blow through the chain link fence exterior.
“How is the new shelter building coming along?” Luke asked.
The volunteer lit up. “Just great. We can always use more volunteers, though,” he said with a hopeful smile. He put out his hand. “The name’s Sean.”
Luke shook his hand. “Luke. I own Madrona Island Winery. I’ll certainly think about helping out here.”
He walked along the covered path, looking inside each space. Some dogs just peeked out and would not make the effort to come see him. One big terrier rushed the fence, barking and jumping in the air.
“He’s just a puppy,” Sean said. “Lots of energy.”
Luke continued on. It broke his heart to see some of the dogs’ sad and desperate faces. At the end of the first row, sitting at attention, was what appeared to be a heeler mix. He was a mix between sun gold and strawberry blonde in color. His white markings were splattered along his back and muzzle, and a dark patch of hair circled his one blue eye. The other eye was a warm brown. Both eyes watched Luke carefully.
“Hello, boy,” Luke said reaching out his hand.
“Bailey is very well-trained,” Sean told him. “Just say, ‘Come, boy,’ and he’ll come right up.”
Bailey was a fitting name. Bailey’s Irish Cream was a good description, and Luke knew one Irish woman who would love this dog as well as him.
“Come, Bailey,” Luke said.
Never breaking eye contact, Bailey walked to the fence.
“Good boy. Can I pet you?” Luke put his fingers through the fence.
Bailey leaned forward to rub his furry head against Luke’s hand.
The wind had died down a bit and the sun poked through the clouds. “Can I take him for a walk?” Luke asked.
“Of course.”
Once Bailey was leashed, Luke walked him down the trail through the back woods behind the shelter. The dog’s ears were the color of brandy and stood straight up. Luke picked up the pace, and Bailey followed right along. He’d make a great companion in the vineyards.
They stopped by the edge of a clearing. “Sit,” Luke said.
Bailey obliged and cocked his head.
Luke kneeled down next to the dog. “Do you want to go home with me?” Luke asked.
Bailey licked his face.
Luke petted his head. “You’re a smart boy, aren’t you?”
Bailey barked in answer.
