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CHAPTER 11
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2024-10-29 19:42:56About forty, Ken Taylor had pulled his black hair into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore a heavy brown coat over a flannel shirt, blue jeans, and black work boots. He opened the gate at the back of his truck, then grinned at Kaleb.
“One of these times, though, you should come into town yourself so you can see the reactions of the people who buy your stuff.”
Shaking his head, he mused.
“I mean, they all but applaud when we bring in new stock.”
“Well… Good to know,” Kaleb replied.
“Still, you should show yourself…”
It was odd, he thought, that he’d taken woodworking, which had once been a hobby, and turned it into an outlet for the creativity that had been choked off years ago. Kaleb liked knowing that his work was appreciate
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“Oh, God, look at her with that puppy,” Sparkle said on a sigh. Her heart filled and ached as she watched Hayzel laughing at the Golden Retriever puppy jumping at her legs. How could one little girl mean so much? Sparkle wondered. When she’d first found herself pregnant, Sparkle remembered the rush of pleasure, the excitement that she’d felt. It hadn’t mattered to her that she was single and not exactly financially stable. All she’d been able to think was… she would finally have her own family. Her baby. Sparkle had been living in Boise back then, starting up her virtual assistant business and working with several of the small businesses in town. One of those was a custom motorcycle shop owned by Jimmy Nesbitt.&nbs
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A few hours later, that question was still on her mind… Well, Sparkle was thinking about protecting Hayzel, helping Kaleb, preparing for Christmas, keeping up with all of the holiday work she had to do for her clients... Oh, whom was she kidding? At the moment, Kaleb was uppermost in her mind. She was determined to drag him back into the land of the living, and she had the distinct feeling he was going to put up a fight. That night, things were different… Sparkle could feel that… When Kaleb came to dinner in the dining room, she and Hayzel were already seated, waiting for him. Since every other night, the two of them were in the kitchen, he looked thrown for a second. She gave him a smile even as Hayzel waved at him.“Hi, Kaleb!” If anything, he looked warier than jus
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Kaleb used to hate the night… the quiet of the night was so heavy on his soul. The feeling of being alone in the world. The seemingly endless hours of darkness. It had given him too much time to think. To remember. To torture himself with what-might-have-beens. He couldn’t sleep because memories became dreams that jolted him awake… or worse, lulled him into believing the last several years had never really happened. Then waking up became misery, and so the cycle went. Until nearly a week ago. Until Sparkle… Kaleb had a fire blazing in the hearth as he waited for her. The night was now something he looked forward to. Being with her, hearing her voice, her laughter had become the best part of his days. Having her there wa
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Frowning to himself, Kaleb tried to ignore the ripple of regret that swept through him.“Okay… Just for the record, I am not responsible for your latest frown.”“What?” He turned his head to look at her again. Sparkle laughed shortly.“Nothing… So, what’d you work on today?”“Seriously? Are we playing the conversation game right now?” he asked a bit exasperated. Usually, Sparkle just launched into a monologue.“Well… Since tonight you’re actually speaking,” she said with a shrug, “I thought I’d ask a question that wasn’t rhetorical.”“Right…” Shaking his head, Kale
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“No, Sparkle! It’s called talking about my business… my family,” he said tightly, watching the reflection of flame and shadow in the blue of her eyes.“I know. And…”“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry...”“I have to, Kaleb,” she said simply. “And I am.”“Great! Thanks!” God! Kaleb wanted to get out of there. She was too close to him. He could smell her shampoo… Jasmine? Lilies? The scent of flowers fired a bolt of desire through him.“But sorry’s not all I am,” Sparkle continued. “I’m also a little furious at you.”“Yeah? Well, right back at you!”“Good,” she said, surprising Kaleb. “If you’re angry at least you’re feeling something… It’s so much better than acting numb in fron
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Buddy pushed up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, took a step back, and looked at the gaping hole where a light switch used to be.“I’ve got the wiring all replaced and brought up to code out in the living room, but I’m checking the rest, as well. Prevention is better than cure, I say. You’ve got some fraying in here and a hot wire somebody left uncapped in the smaller bedroom…” Hayzel’s bedroom, Sparkle thought and felt a pang of worry. God, if the fire had started in her daughter’s room in the middle of the night, maybe they wouldn’t have noticed in time. Maybe smoke inhalation would have knocked them out and kept them out until…“No worries, Sparks,” Buddy said, looking right at her. “No point in thinking about what-ifs, either, honey,” he added as if he could look a
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He carried Hayzel and followed behind Sparkle as she walked into the house and then turned for the great room.“I’ve got a couple of surprises for you two.”“For Christmas?” Hayzel gave him a squeeze, then as she saw what was waiting for her, she squealed.“Oh, my goodness!” That quick gasp was followed by another squeal, this one higher than the one before. She squirmed to get out of Kaleb’s arms, then raced across the room to the oversize fairy castle dollhouse sitting in front of the tree. Beside him, Kaleb heard Sparkle give a soft sigh. When he looked at her, there were tears in her eyes and a beautiful smile on her amazing mouth. His heart gave another hard lurch, and he welc
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Sparkle spent the next few days taking care of her business. She buried the pain beneath layers of carefully constructed indifference and focused on what she had to do. In between taking care of her clients, she made meals for Kaleb and froze them. Whatever else happened after she left this house, he wouldn’t starve. If she had her way, she wouldn’t leave. She’d stay right here and keep hammering at his hard head until she got through. And maybe, one day, she’d succeed. But then again, maybe not. So, she couldn’t take the chance. It was one thing to risk her own heart, but she wouldn’t risk Hayzel’s. Her daughter was already crazy about Kaleb. The longer they stayed here in this house, the deeper those feelings would go.&n
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The house phone rang and Sparkle answered without looking at the caller ID.“Brantley residence.”“Sparkle? Oh, it’s so nice to finally talk to you!” A female voice… A very happy voice that she didn’t know.“Thank you very much… I guess…” she replied, carrying the phone back to the window so she could look outside. “I’m sorry, but who is this?”“Oh, God, you’re right! I didn’t introduce myself… How stupid of me,” the woman said with a delighted laugh. “I’m Catherine Brantley, Kaleb’s mother.” Whoa! A wave of embarrassment swept over her. Sparkle was standing in Kaleb’s bedroom, beside the bed where they&rsq
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Kaleb watched her as, for a second or two, she just stared at him as if she were trying to make sense of a foreign language. And since he was staring into those clear blue eyes of hers, he saw the shift of emotions when what he’d said finally sunk in. And even then, the uppermost thought in his mind was her scent and how it clung to her skin and seeped into his bones. Every breath he drew pulled her inside him until summer flowers filled every corner of his heart, his soul. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d led them both into a risky situation, and he had to keep his mind on what could, potentially, be facing them. It had been a long time since he’d been with anyone, sure. But it was Sparkle herself who had blown all thought, all reason, right out of his head with that one surprise ki
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Her fingers scraped through his hair, held his head to hers. Every breath came strangled, harsh but Sparkle didn’t care. All she wanted, all she needed, was the taste of him filling her. The feel of his hands holding her. Then, when she became light-headed, Sparkle broke the kiss, letting her head drop back as she gasped for breath. Staring up at the dimly lit ceiling, she concentrated solely on the feel of Kaleb’s mouth at her throat, latching on to the pulse point at the base of her neck. He tasted, he nibbled, he licked, and she sighed heavily.“Oh, Kaleb… That feels really...” She gasped again.“Good.” With his mouth against her throat, he smiled.“I’ve wanted my hand
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Everybody in town had to be in the steakhouse, and Sparkle thought it was a good thing. She knew a lot of people in town and she made sure to introduce Kaleb to most of them. Sure, it didn’t make for a relaxing dinner… She could actually see him tightening up. Still, it felt good to watch people greet him. To tell him how much they loved the woodworking he did. And the more uncomfortable Kaleb got with the praise, the more Sparkle relished it. He’d been too long in his comfort zone of solitude. He’d made himself an island, and swimming to the mainland would be exhausting. But it would so be worth the trip.“I’ve never owned anything as beautiful as that bowl you made,” Charlotte Hobbs gushed, laying one hand on Kaleb’s shoulder.&nbs
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Once it started snowing, it just kept coming. As if an invisible hand had pulled a zipper on the gray, threatening clouds, they spilled down heavy white flakes for days. The woods looked magical, and every day, Hayzel insisted on checking the fairy houses. There were now two… Every time she was near them, she squinted inside the tiny houses, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the tiny people living in them. Every day there was disappointment, but her faith never wavered. Kaleb had to admire that even as his once-cold heart warmed with affection for the girl. Hayzel was getting to him every bit as much as her mother was. In different ways, of course, but the result was the same. He was opening up and damned if it wasn’t pai
