Silhouette Christmas Stories

Suddenly, Slade was tired of the whole mess. Tired of the way she leaped protectively between him and her grandfather, tired of being on the other side of the signs. Especially tired of the edgy look she got whenever he came into sight. He swallowed a bite of the rich cake and made an appreciative sound. 'How'd Christy's appointment go?' he asked casually.

Carroll blinked, surprised at his mild tone. But not being one to overlook a gift from the gods, however small it might be, she plunged into the new topic with enthusiasm. With any luck, he would forget that he'd come over ready to raise hell with Kris, she thought optimistically.

'Fine. The doctor took another X-ray and made reassuring noises, said again that it wasn't a bad break and that she's healing fast. He wants her to keep the cast on for another few weeks. I think that it's more because he knows that her only speed is fast than because she really needs it. So she'll still be thumping around on crutches for a while, endangering everyone's toes.'

Slade savored her smile. It was warm and tender, not the cautious curve of her lips that she usually aimed at him. Of course, neither the warmth nor the tenderness was for him, but he would take whatever she was offering. For now. 'Christy's had a rough time.'

'The first day or so,' Carroll agreed. 'But now she's really milking the situation for all it's worth.'

Slade placed his fork on the empty plate. 'But think of the boon she's been to the community theater group. They have a Tiny Tim on genuine crutches.'

'The whole cast is spoiling her rotten. They're also hobbling around with bruised toes.' Carroll grinned. 'Be warned, she's really getting into the role. In the last couple of days she's perfected a waiflike look that will have you believing she's underfed and neglected.' She got up and brought the coffeepot over to the table. Filling the mugs, she said, 'I've come to the conclusion that my daughter is a ham at heart.'

'Maybe she comes by it naturally.'

Carroll sat back down and stared at him thoughtfully. 'You mean my mother?'

He nodded. 'It's not that much of a leap from an artist to a budding actress. Where did Noel study?'

She laughed softly. 'Upstairs.' When Slade mutely pointed toward the ceiling, she nodded. 'Yep. When I was a kid, Mom and Kris turned our place in San Diego into a boarding house. One of the lodgers took off in the middle of the night, leaving his paints behind in lieu of the rent. Mom decided it was an omen. She sold the house, and we moved up here, where she could be inspired.'

Slade shrugged. 'Whatever it takes. Apparently it worked. Her landscapes seem to be pretty popular.'

'Um-hmm.' Carroll didn't try to conceal her pride. 'The word's finally getting around.'

'Where was your dad while all this was going on?' Slade asked, finally giving in to his rampant curiosity about her. In the past two weeks, in her efforts to keep him away from Kris, she had talked at length about her grandfather, her mother and her daughter. She had said nada, zippo, about herself or the men in her life.

Now it took Slade all of three seconds to decide that he'd been patient enough. He would have preferred that she volunteer the information, but since she obviously didn't intend to, he wasn't above taking advantage of the situation. If she wanted to keep him out of the basement, away from Kris, she could damn well talk.

The smile left Carroll's face. 'My father took off when I was a baby.' Her tone told him that the subject was closed.

'Why?'

She shot him an aggravated glance. After seeming to weigh her options, she sighed. 'Good question. He never said.'

'He just left?'

'Yep. In the middle of the night, just like the lodger with the paints.'

'Must have been rough.'

'We managed,' she said briefly.

'What happened to your husband?' He slid it in fast, before she could offer him another piece of cake or change the subject. She didn't like it, and he really couldn't blame her. Her narrowed eyes told him to go to hell.

'Are you always this rude?' she demanded, temper adding color to her cheeks.

Slade's shrug was a lazy movement of his wide shoulders. 'No. Only with people who are as close-mouthed as you. And then only when it's important.'

Carroll's brows rose. 'Important?'

His steady gaze held hers. 'I need to know just how softly I have to walk around you.'

'I don't think I understand.' Her puzzled frown etched two vertical lines between her brows.

More to the point, she didn't want to understand, he reflected, even as he nodded and kept his voice patient. 'I want to know what happened to the man in your life. As I see it, there are several possibilities. You could have had Christy without the benefit of a wedding, you could be divorced, or you could be a grieving widow.' Or you could have a lover. He was wise enough to keep the last option to himself.

Carroll concentrated on lacing her fingers around the mug. 'Does it really matter which it is?'

Slade nodded again. 'Yeah, it does. I'd walk more softly around a grieving widow.'

'How much more?'

His sudden grin startled her and sent her pulse tap-dancing, made her resolve to tether her impetuous tongue. It also answered her question: only as much as he had to. She fussed with the coffeepot. 'I don't know how we got on this subject,' she said carefully, 'but it's not going to get us anywhere, so why don't we just drop it? I don't need a man in my life, however he walks.'

Slade took a swallow of coffee, watching her over the rim of the cup. He waited until some of the tension went out of her shoulders before he asked, 'So what happened to him?'

Carroll closed her eyes, her sigh a gust of irritation. When she finally turned her gaze to Slade, he was placidly drinking his coffee, waiting. And he would keep on waiting, she realized with a sudden flash of insight. Waiting and asking until he finally got an answer. The neighborhood grapevine contended that he was a top-notch design engineer, doing something hush-hush for the military on his state-of-the-art computer. She didn't doubt it for a second; he had the typical engineer's annoying habit of asking questions, then digging with pit-bull persistence to get the answers.

With an impatient wave of her hand, she gave up. 'It's an old story, and a dull one. He did exactly what the other two did-walk. Only I got the courtesy of an explanation. He was looking for something.'

'He had you and Christy, and he went looking for more?' Slade's gray eyes registered disbelief. 'He's a fool.'

Carroll stared at him. 'Where were you years ago when I needed to hear that from someone besides my mother and grandfather?' she finally asked with wry humor.

'Where is he now?'

'Last I heard, he was in some over-the-hill hippie, vegetarian commune.'

Her casual shrug told Slade all he needed to know. She wasn't mourning the loss of a husband. She'd had the strength to rebuild her life, and she wasn't wasting any time looking over her shoulder. If her steady gaze was any indication, she was, apparently, happy.

'You're better off without him,' Slade said flatly.

She nodded. 'I couldn't agree more. Actually, I feel a little sorry for him. I have full custody of Christy, and he'll never see her grow up. He has no idea what he's missing.'

Slade raised his mug and sipped thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving her face. He liked what he saw. Life had made her strong, yet she still had compassion for a loser ex-husband. She wasn't bitter, but she knew her own value and wouldn't let the guy within a hundred feet of her or Christy. Which was exactly as it should be.

Carroll wasn't beautiful, he reflected. She didn't have the anorectic, hollowed-cheekbones and exotic glamor found in fashion magazines. She was small-boned and barely came to his chin. Slim, but not excessively so, with a neat little bottom that had kept him awake more nights than he wanted to count. Her steady blue gaze reflected intelligence and a lively sense of humor. Straight blond hair framed her face and usually looked as if she had been running her hands through it. No, she wasn't beautiful, Slade reflected, but the sum total of what she was had a lethal effect on him.