Hidden Away, page 7
part #2 of Hearts of Montana Series
The boy threw his arms around Taylor, his sweaty hair damp against his chest. He rubbed his hand along Sam’s back.
He didn’t know a lot of eight-year olds and wasn’t sure if the boy was small for his age or not, but he sure seemed small to him. His hand practically covered the boy’s entire back.
He didn’t know what to say.
How could he tell him everything was going to be all right when he didn’t know if it would be? “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m really sorry.”
The boy took a deep shuddering breath and clung to his chest. Taylor looked up at Cherry.
She looked as lost as he felt, her eyes round with sorrow.
Sam reached back and squeezed her hand.
They sat like that for several minutes. Taylor softly stroking the boy’s back while Cherry gently held on to his hand.
Sam’s breathing settled, and his muscles relaxed.
“How about you try to go back to sleep now?” she quietly asked.
“Will you stay in here with me?”
“Yes, of course.” She shifted so Taylor could set the boy’s head back down on his pillow, then she lay down on the bed next to him, cradling his small body against hers.
Sam settled against the pillow, his eyes closing in fatigue. He struggled awake, looking around the room. “Where’s Taylor?”
He reached out and took Sam’s hand. “I’m right here, buddy. I’m not going anywhere.”
Not letting go of Sam’s hand, he laid down behind Cherry, spooning against her back.
She set her hand on top of their joined ones.
“Everything okay in here?” Russ stood in the doorway of Sam’s room, his voice low.
Taylor nodded. “Yeah, Dad. Thanks. You can go back to bed. Everything’s okay.”
He heard the click of the latch as his dad pulled the door shut and felt Cherry relax against his chest. He laid awake and listened as her and Sam’s breathing evened out as they fell asleep.
Yeah, everything was okay.
For now.
Cherry pushed open the door of the diner. It was still early the next morning, and she would normally have filled dozens of orders by now.
But today, the diner sat empty, a fine layer of soot still visible on every surface. An acrid scent of smoke filled the air.
A ball of panic blossomed in her chest at the thought of the work ahead of them and how much it was going to cost to do the repairs.
And having her only source of income out of commission fed the intensity of the panic.
“Wow, this place is dirty,” Sam said, in his usual matter-of-fact tone.
He pushed past her and ran up to the counter. After brushing off the seat, he climbed onto one of the stools then spun toward her. “Hope the shake machine still works.”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the chocolate shake.” Taylor stepped into the diner, a tool box clutched in his hand. “I’ve never seen this place so empty.”
“It’s not totally empty, dude.” Stan pushed through the kitchen doors. His hair stood on end and a smudge of soot covered his cheek, but danged if he wasn’t a sight for sore eyes.
Cherry grinned and crossed the room to throw her arms around her friend. “I am so glad to see you. Do you know how bad the damage is yet?”
“Nah. The insurance adjustor came out yesterday and took some pictures. He said he’d be by with a quote, but we were okay to start clearing stuff out and cleaning up. Most of the damage is contained around the stove. Except for the smoke and water damage. Oh, and the big hole that burned through the ceiling. I think everything up there and in here is covered with soot. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days, just cleaning the kitchen.”
She poked her head into the kitchen and could see the evidence of his work. The dishwasher was humming, and he had a sink full of bubbly water stacked with dishes. One side of the kitchen gleamed, the other was still blanketed in soot. It looked like a before-and-after picture. “Wow, you have been working.”
“Hey, little dude.” Stan offered Sam a high five.
Stacy had been bringing Sam to the diner since he was small, and Stan had a soft spot for the boy.
She’d called Stan the day before to fill him in the car accident and tell him about Sam.
Stan put a comforting hand on Sam’s small shoulder. “Sounds like we’re going to be seeing you a lot more around here. Sorry about your parents. That sucks, man.”
Sam nodded and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “Yeah, it sucks.”
Her heart broke for him.
She knew as a parent she should probably tell him not to say “sucks,” but in this case, it did suck.
It sucked really bad.
Stan gestured to the kitchen. “Do you want to help me in the kitchen? You can wash some dishes, and I’ll even let you pick the tunes.”
“Okay.” Sam slid off the stool and followed Stan into the kitchen.
“We’re going to go up and check on my apartment, Stan. You good here?”
“Totally. As long as my man here picks some good tunage.” He scrolled through his phone. “Sam, you want to hear my playlist for ‘Good tunes’ or ‘Happy music’?”
“Um, let’s do happy music,” Sam said, pulling over a stool and dunking his hands into the water filling the big kitchen sink.
It looked like Stan had it handled. The melodic notes of a Jack Johnson song filled the air, and Cherry turned to Taylor. “Can you help me check out my apartment? The fire department said I couldn’t go up there, but since you’re a volunteer fireman, maybe it’s okay if just you go in?”
Taylor nodded. “Let’s go see.” He set down the tool box and held the door open for her.
They walked around the side of the building and climbed the stairs to the apartment over the diner. The back door of the kitchen was open, and she could hear Stan’s music wafting out into the alleyway.
Taylor pulled the yellow caution tape from the door, and she handed him her house key. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The thick smell of smoke filled the air. She peered into the apartment and groaned. A huge hole sat in the middle of the floor and she could see down into the diner’s kitchen.
The apartment opened into one big room with a kitchen along the wall. It had a large bedroom at the far end and a good-sized bathroom.
She was thankful she’d closed the door of her bedroom, hoping that kept out some of the smoke damage.
The same layer of soot and ash covered every surface up here, and she could see warps in the wood floor from the water damage.
Taylor held a hand against her arm. “Stay here in the doorway. I’ll go in and see how bad it is. Is there anything you really need from in here?”
She sighed, too overwhelmed to think of everything that could be damaged or lost. “Mainly just some clothes. And my laptop. There’s a photo album on the shelf of my bedroom that I’d like to have. And my jewelry box.”
Taylor nodded and carefully stepped into the room. He took tentative steps, testing the floor before he put his whole weight on it.
The floor groaned and creaked under his feet.
She reached out to him. “Holy crud. Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I’m taking it slow. I know what I’m doing.” He cocked his chin and offered her a sly grin. “Are you worried about me?”
“No,” she replied, trying to sound offhand. “I just can’t afford to pay the medical bills if you fall through the floor.”
“Uh-huh.” His grin remained as he pointed to the closed door at the far end of the apartment. “Is that your bedroom?”
“Yeah. There should be a laundry basket on the floor, half full of clothes. Those are the things I probably wear the most.”
He inched past the hole in the floor, sliding sideways with his back against the wall, then pushed open the bedroom door and peeked inside. “It doesn’t smell quite so bad in here. Either that or I’m getting used to it.”
He disappeared into the room and came back with the laundry basket. He set it on the floor of the open doorway. Cherry could see her simple jewelry box nestled in the clothes and the brown edges of the photo album sticking up out of the basket. “The photo album looks okay. What else do you want me to grab?”
“There’s a backpack hanging off the closet door. Could you stick my laptop in there? And do you see my tennis shoes on the floor? The pink ones?”
He disappeared again, and she could hear him rummaging around the room. “Got the shoes and the computer.”
“Do you see my cowboy boots in the closet? The brown ones with the teal inset? Can you grab those?”
His head poked around the doorway. “Really? Do you think you’re going to need a pair of boots in the next week?”
“They’re brand new. I just bought them.” They’d been her one big splurge last month. She hardly ever bought anything for herself but had seen the boots in the window of Tate’s Western Shop and had to have them. “Do you want me to come in and get them myself?”
He held up his hands. “No, stay there. I’m not sure how safe that floor is. I’m getting the boots.”
“I think a pair of my favorite jeans are on the chair by my bed. Do you see those? And a pair of jean shorts should be on the floor.”
“Found them.” He dropped the boots, jeans, and shorts into the basket.
She chewed her bottom lip trying to think of what else she might need in the next few weeks. “I probably need a few things out of my dresser. Can you open the middle drawer there on the right? Just grab the stack of T-shirts on top?”
He pulled the drawer out, grabbed the top few shirts, and dumped them in the basket.
“And there’s underwear in the top drawer. Just grab a handful.”
He offered her a naughty grin as he pulled out the top drawer, and his eyes roamed over her underwear. “Do I get to pick the ones I want you to be wearing? I like these.” He picked up a black lacy thong and twirled it around his finger.
Heat crept up her neck. No woman wanted a man poking around in her underwear drawer. “Just put some in the basket.”
Laughing, he shuffled a hand through her panties. “Are you worried I’m going to find one of your toys in here?”
Um. No. She’d purposely not told him to go into the bottom drawer for that very reason. “My toys are none of your business.”
He held up a red lacy bra. “Do you need some extra brassieres? I think we should bring this one.”
She narrowed her eyes and looked around for something to throw at him.
“Um…just so you know, we can like, totally, hear you guys down here.” Stan’s voice came up through the hole in the floor.
“What’s a bra-zeer?” she heard Sam ask.
“You’ll find out soon enough, dude.”
“But Taylor said they might have toys up there.” Sam’s voice sounded hopeful.
Her face heated with embarrassment, and she shook her head at Taylor, who was doubled over in laughter.
“Just get back to washing those dishes,” Stan said.
“Are you done now?” she asked.
Taylor said nothing but held up another bra, this one sheer black lace. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“Just put some in the basket and let’s go, you dork.”
Still chuckling, he dropped a couple of bras into the basket. Hefting the backpack over his shoulder, he picked up the basket and carried it across the room, carefully easing back past the hole in the floor.
She slugged him in the arm as soon as he was close enough to reach.
He only laughed harder as they walked down the stairs and around to the front of the diner. She held the door and he walked in and set the basket on one of the tables.
Cherry picked up one of the shirts and wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. All of these clothes stink like smoke.”
“Yeah, I know a few tricks from the fire hall for getting the smoke smell out, but we’re probably going to have to wash them several times.”
Hmm. He sure did say “we” a lot.
She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. If she could trust that he was really sticking around.
If she could trust him.
“I can help with that.”
Cherry turned, a smile breaking over her face, as she recognized Charlie Ryan’s voice. Charlie was one of the few women friends that Cherry had, and she stood in the doorway of the diner with her boyfriend, Zack Cooper, his fourteen-year-old daughter, Sophie, and her handsome ranch hand, Cash Walker.
Growing up in Broken Falls, she and Taylor had gone to school with Zack and Cash. Taylor and Zack had played on the same football team, and the three guys had been getting in trouble together since they were kids.
Cherry rushed forward to hug her friends. “What are you guys doing here?”
Charlie squeezed her shoulder. “We’re here to help. We brought sandwiches, Sophie’s mac-n-cheese, and four pairs of willing hands.” She pointed at the basket of clothes. “I can take those clothes out to the house and wash them for you. I’ve heard hanging them out on the line to dry helps get the smell of smoke out.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can go over to the laundromat later.”
“Nonsense. I want to help.” Charlie cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’m not good at a lot of things, but I can work the washing machine, and it will make me feel better to know I helped.”
A sigh of relief escaped her as Cherry smiled at her friend. “Okay. Okay. And thank you. That would be great.”
Zack stepped forward to shake Taylor’s hand. “Hey, buddy, looks like y’all have quite a mess here.”
Cash clapped him on the shoulder. “We came to work. What can we do?”
Taylor gestured to the kitchen. “Most of the repair work needs to be done in the kitchen. I could use a hand hauling out the damaged stuff and replacing the dry wall. And we’ve got lots of stuff to wash and wipe down if Sophie wants to lend a hand.”
“Taylor, you don’t have to do this. Don’t you have to work or something?” Cherry asked. Why was he being so nice to her?
“I’m fine. The office knows where to find me. I’m sure they’ll call if a big crime spree spontaneously breaks out.” Taylor led Zack, Cash, and Sophie into the kitchen, and she heard him introducing Sam.
Charlie gave her an appraising glance. “Why don’t you want him to help you? He is your fiancé after all.”
Cherry groaned. “Seriously? How in the hamhock do you know about that?”
“Who doesn’t know about it? It’s a small town, remember?” Charlie cocked an eyebrow at her. “I am a bit surprised that you didn’t mention your engagement when we were at Taco Tuesday last week. That seems like an important bit of news.”
Cherry picked at the loose polish on her thumb nail. “It just happened recently. I, uh, just haven’t had a chance to tell you about it.”
“I guess not. And it must be extremely recent, especially since I recall you complaining to me over margaritas last week that you hadn’t been with a man in close to a year.”
“A year?”
Cherry’s head popped up to see Taylor standing by the counter.
That’s just great.
Maybe another hole could appear in this floor and just swallow her into it.
Taylor pointed at his tool box. “I just came back in to grab my tools. Didn’t mean to interrupt.” He ducked his head sheepishly and grabbed the box.
Walking back toward the kitchen, shaking his head, he muttered, “Well, I’ll be a son of a gun. A year?”
Cherry buried her face in her hands. “Thanks a lot, Charlie. I thought you were supposed to be my friend.” Hearing no reply, she peeked out from between her fingers and spied her “supposed” friend doubled over in laughter.
“Sorry,” Charlie sputtered between gales of laughter. “I couldn’t have timed that better if I tried.”
“Yeah, thanks. Now I won’t feel so bad about putting you to work. Go grab a bucket and a sponge, and help me clean up behind the counter.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Charlie offered her a mock salute, still grinning. “And don’t worry, we’ll talk about this more later when we’re alone.”
Not if she could help it. Cherry suspected her friend knew her well enough to guess there was something fishy about the engagement, so the less she had to talk about it, the better. She just needed to keep Charlie’s focus on something besides her and Taylor and their supposed engagement. In fact, she needed to keep her own thoughts off that subject as well.
It was easier to concentrate on something tangible. Like cleaning up the place.
Stan turned up the music, and the sweet thump of reggae music filled the diner.
The group worked together for several hours, then stopped to take a break for lunch.
Charlie and Sophie brought in a huge basket full of food and a cooler of cold drinks. They’d cleaned off a couple of tables, and they all shared the noon-time feast.
The kids had eaten quickly, and Sophie had taken Sam outside to play.
Sophie was a sweet teenager, and it warmed Cherry’s heart to see her with Sam, getting him to laugh and play along with her silly jokes.
Cherry also loved seeing the adorable romance happening between Charlie and Zack.
Their relationship had been touch and go earlier this summer when Charlie had first come to town to take over her grandmother’s farm, Tucked Away. But they’d worked things out, and it was obvious how in love they were.
The subtle caresses, the way they held hands as they sat at the table, the way Zack couldn’t help touching Charlie when he was near her.
It warmed her heart to see her friends so happy. And if she were honest with herself, it made her a little jealous, too. She’d been loved like that once.
A long time ago.
It seemed easier not to think about it.
Not to think about the guy that couldn’t get enough of her then left her behind.
But she couldn’t ignore it. Not when that guy was sitting across the table from her, nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie.
Her eyes went to his mouth, and she envisioned him nibbling like that on her neck.
