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  “I’m betting she sucks as a cook.”

  “You’ve just gotten spoiled. She might surprise you.”

  They heard Sylvie’s steps on the stairs. “Let’s find out.” When his daughter came back in the room, Axel said, “Karli fixed stew today. Are you going to cook for me, too?”

  “I’ll cook for you, but I’ll be damned if I’ll cook for Kurt and Donna’s kid.”

  “Then forget it.” Axel turned to Karli. “What’s the point of everyone fixing separate meals?”

  “I don’t mind. I’ll run into town to eat. She can take care of you fulltime.”

  “What about Kurt?”

  Karli shrugged. “I didn’t come here to take care of Kurt.”

  “But I like your food! You can cook for me, and Sylvie and Kurt can run into town together and pay for their own meals.”

  Sylvie’s hands went to her hips again. “You haven’t even tasted my food. What do you have in the refrigerator?”

  “Karli bought everything in there. We have a grocery store in town, remember?”

  Sylvie scowled. “You expect me to pay for your food?”

  “Karli does.”

  “Karli’s crazy then. We came to help you, not support you.”

  Axel turned to Karli with a smirk. “See. What did I tell you?”

  Karli was tired of both of them. “You two figure it out. I’m going to grab a sausage sandwich at Joel’s microbrewery. You’re on your own.” She’d had as much of Axel’s family as she could stand.

  Sylvie went to scrounge through the refrigerator. “Looks like fried potatoes and eggs to me.”

  “Too much grease makes me sick.”

  “Get used to it, old man. I fry everything.”

  Karli headed to get her coat. She might need to find a permanent table at Ralph’s every other night.

  Chapter 31

  Axel didn’t feel good when Karli got home. “My stomach’s off.”

  No kidding. From all the splatters on the stove, she’d guess he’d ingested more grease than any human being should. She brought him two antacids and a glass of water.

  She’d had a nice night. Harley and Kathy were at Joel’s, and she’d sat with them. They’d filled her in on all of the recent couplings in Mill Pond, told her how Ian had met Tessa, Paula had fallen for Chase, and Joel had snagged Miriam.

  “I’d better be careful then.” Karli laughed. “I’m not looking for anything permanent.”

  Kathy raised a warning eyebrow. “Neither were they.”

  “The bumpiest was Tyne and Daphne,” Harley said. “That one was fun to watch.”

  “How did you two meet?” Karli asked them.

  Kathy smiled. “In a graveyard.” And then she told her the whole story, how her car had broken down and she pulled into a cemetery to call for a tow truck and Harley found her and rescued her. Her car. Her heart. All of her.

  Harley smiled, listening to his wife. “When you meet a stranded beauty at your mother’s grave, it’s a sign, right?”

  “A gift from the gods,” Karli said.

  Without her asking, Harley told her about Keagan and Cecily. “Talk about two people who were wrong for each other. Keagan’s a homebody, loves Mill Pond and his family; loves his job and his art. Cecily wanted to be on the go every waking hour. They had nothing in common.”

  Was he hinting at something? Warning her off? Did she have any common goals or passions with Keagan?

  After the three of them finished their meals and said their goodbyes, Karli fussed on the drive home. Was she right for Keagan? When she reached the house, though, anger pushed everything else out of her mind. Dusty ran from the barn when he heard her footsteps. It was a cold night. What the hell was her cat doing outdoors? She scooped him into her arms and carried him inside. Purrs greeted her.

  Sylvie was in the dining room, watching something on YouTube on Karli’s laptop.

  Karli stopped short and stared. “That’s mine. It was in my room.”

  Sylvie shrugged. “You weren’t usin’ it.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s mine. Hands off.” She glared. “What was my cat doing outside?”

  “Cats don’t belong in a house. I don’t like pets.”

  “Tough. Dusty’s mine. He stays with me.” As she spoke the words, she knew they were true. When she left Mill Pond, the cat was coming with her.

  “Don’t get your shorts in a twist,” Sylvie barked. “I brought my TV with me. I just ain’t got it hooked up yet. I called and someone’s comin’ tomorrow.”

  Karli nodded, then looked out at the kitchen. Dirty pots and pans covered the stove. Food dried on dishes in the sink. “You didn’t clean your mess.”

  “I’ll get to it tomorrow . . . when I damned well feel like it.”

  “Good, then you go to town when the mood strikes you and buy the food to fix meals, because I’m not working in there.”

  Sylvie’s expression hardened more than usual. “You’re a real pain in the ass, ain’t you?”

  Karli had heard that before. “I can be, but I’d guess you’re better at it.”

  Sylvie bit her bottom lip. “How long you stayin’?”

  “I promised Axel I’d stay another week.”

  Sylvie’s shoulders relaxed and she smiled. “A week ain’t that long. You can have the kitchen. Cook everythin’ the old man likes and make him happy.”

  It was better than degreasing every day from top to bottom. “Deal.”

  Sylvie nodded and stood, pushing Karli’s laptop toward her. “Guess you never learned to share.”

  “Not with people I don’t know.” Karli took it and carried it to her room. By the time she went to the kitchen, Sylvie had crammed every dirty pot and dish in the dishwasher and started it. Karli sighed and reached for the multi-purpose spray. She was cleaning the counter top and stove when Axel called, “I still don’t feel so good.”

  Karli made him a cup of tea. “I’m going to cook until I leave here. I’ll try to keep you healthy for as long as I can.”

  He took a sip of tea and sighed. “I asked for cottage cheese, but she wouldn’t bring me any.”

  Karli patted his hand. “Give the pills a little more time to work, then you’ll feel better.” She looked at the empty chair where Kurt usually sat. “No Kurt?”

  “He didn’t feel so good either, had to keep making runs to the bathroom. Went to bed early.”

  “Maybe you’ll both get more tolerant of fried food.”

  “Don’t want to.” Axel glanced away from the TV screen when his show went to a commercial. “I called Keagan. He’s coming tomorrow after work to clean me up and cut my hair and beard again. Doesn’t do a half bad job of it.”

  Karli tucked his blankets higher around him. “It’s getting uncomfortable out here. When do you usually move inside the house?”

  “Keagan’s bringing me some kind of fancy heater, takes pellets. I like looking out the windows.”

  Karli pulled the drapes closed around Axel’s bed. “That might help a little. Keagan’s sure nice to you.”

  “He’s a good boy. Should have kept his money, but he’s all hot and bothered about his family.”

  Karli nodded. In the future, if she wanted to see him, she’d have to come here. She’d be happy to make the trip as often as she could, as long as Keagan would keep spending time with her. When she had Axel comfortable, she went through the house, turning off lights. She felt more tired than she expected. She fed Dusty, then changed into her pajamas. As soon as her head hit the pillow on her air mattress, she was asleep.

  Voices woke her in the morning. Dusty stretched and yawned beside her. Karli pulled her pillow over her head when she recognized Sylvie’s strident tone.

  “What did you do? Leave your TV on all night? What are you—rich? You can afford to pay for that much ele
ctricity?”

  “It’s seven.” Axel’s voice sounded slurred with sleep. “Turn the damn thing off and leave me alone.”

  “Nope, time to get you in your wheelchair and roll you into the bathroom. You don’t need those diapers. You’re just too lazy to hoof it to the toilet in time.”

  Had Sylvie ever worked with old people with weak bladders? Karli listened for an answer.

  “Too late. My diaper’s already wet.”

  “You think that’s funny, don’t you? But if I have to set my alarm for five a.m., I’m getting you up and moving in time.”

  “Go away and let me get more sleep.”

  “Nope, I’m getting you up and walking. We’re going to build up your strength.”

  The woman was a sadist. Karli rolled her eyes. Poor Axel’s frame was fragile. He probably suffered every time he rolled from one side to the other.

  “Come on,” Sylvie demanded. “Let’s get you moving.”

  “Karli!” Axel roared.

  Oh, damn. He was pissed. She pushed off the air mattress, pulled on her robe, and went to rescue him. When she got to the sun-room, Sylvie was pulling on him, trying to yank him to his feet.

  “His legs won’t hold him,” Karli said.

  Sylvie whirled on her. “How do you know?”

  Should she state the obvious? I’m a nurse. Sylvie probably wouldn’t believe that. So she said, “I’ve been wheeling him to the bathroom to brush his teeth every night. He’s not strong enough to stand.”

  Sylvie didn’t look happy. “You didn’t take care of yourself, did you, old man? You expected us to do everything for you.”

  “He’s old,” Karli said. “And he’s worked hard all his life. It takes its toll.”

  Sylvie wrinkled her nose. “When was the last time anyone cleaned his sheets?”

  “They’re clean. Every time Keagan gives him a shower, I change them. I change the waterproof mats under him once a day, but if you think he needs more, go for it.” Karli motioned to Axel’s bed.

  “Why should I be the one to do it? Why doesn’t he hire someone?”

  Karli snorted. “Let me know how that works out. I’m going back to bed.” As she walked to her room, she heard them bickering again. She didn’t care if Sylvie made Axel miserable. It served him right, but she couldn’t try to make him stand and cause him physical damage.

  At nine, when she woke for the second time, they were still going at it. Axel had to be about whipped. He usually slept later than Karli did.

  Karli went to the kitchen and started the coffeepot. Maybe Sylvie didn’t like caffeine? But the minute the pot finished gurgling and the aroma of coffee filled the house, Sylvie was there with a mug. Karli watched her carry it upstairs and then poured a cup for Axel and her.

  “Has she been at you all morning?” Karli asked.

  Axel looked exhausted. “After breakfast, I’m taking a nap.”

  “I don’t blame you.” She made him eggs and toast. He was asleep soon after she removed his dirty dishes. Sylvie was nowhere in sight, and she suspected she’d fallen asleep, too. Had the woman gotten up just to annoy Axel?

  Karli had meant to start work on the cupboards, but she’d never finished the floor last night. She didn’t expect to see anyone soon—it was common for Kurt to sleep until noon—so she put on her oldest jeans, got on her hands and knees, and stained half of the kitchen floor. Meg had told her that it took twenty-four hours before you could walk on it in socks, no shoes. She could get to the refrigerator but not to the sink and stove. No worries. She’d carried paper plates and her slow cooker into the dining room, but tomorrow, after she finished the second half of the floor, she’d have to bring food in and come in the back-porch door to deliver it. A bother, but worth it.

  She didn’t hear any movement until lunch time. By then, the sloppy joes were already simmering in the slow cooker for supper tonight. She’d bought deli meat to make sandwiches for lunch. Kurt came into the kitchen and stopped at the halfway mark. He studied the floor and said, “It looks like a perfect match.”

  She blinked, surprised. Kurt hardly ever complimented her. “Thanks. You hungry?”

  He looked at the stack of sandwiches she’d made and covered with plastic wrap. “I could eat a couple.”

  She dished him up two sandwiches. “Throw your plate away when you’re done. Sylvie got Axel up early this morning. He might sleep for a while.”

  “Can I use the remote until he wakes up?”

  She shrugged. “Why not?”

  He went to the back room, slumped into his chair, and looked happier than usual. She wondered what it would feel like to live off the scraps of someone else for your needs in life. That alone would motivate her to work, but not Kurt.

  Axel and Sylvie woke an hour later, and she gave them sandwiches, too. Before Sylvie finished hers, the cable man came to connect her TV upstairs, and she disappeared with him.

  “Will the connection only work in Sylvie’s room?” Kurt asked.

  “Beats me. I don’t know how things work in the country.” Karli was just glad Sylvie might spend more time in her room.

  Kurt disappeared. Karli suspected he was sitting upstairs, in his room, listening to what the cable man told Sylvie. Dusty wove around her ankles, and she realized that the cat had emptied his food bowls and was begging for scraps of deli meat. She tossed him a few. She couldn’t really do anything else at the moment, so she went in her room and turned on her Kindle. She’d enjoy herself for a few hours.

  She was startled when someone knocked on the front door later in the afternoon. Cripes! It was after five, and she’d gotten lost in her book. The door opened and she heard Keagan call, “Hello?”

  She hurried to greet him. “Sorry, we’re off schedule today. Sylvie tried to get Axel up early this morning, and everyone’s tired.”

  He stopped in the dining room and smiled at her. “You look pretty. You’ve been working in the kitchen, haven’t you?”

  Yup, the man liked the natural look, and that was being generous. Her old jeans had holes in them now and were stained. She touched a hand to her hair—a bushy mess. “Are you hungry? I made a pot of sloppy joes. There are paper plates and buns on the dining room table.”

  “Let me clean Axel first.” When he got to the kitchen, he examined the half that was stained. “A good match.”

  She smiled, pleased.

  When he stepped into the back room, he stopped and frowned. Axel and Sylvie faced each other, arms crossed, glaring. Karli hadn’t heard them argue. What were they going on about now? Sylvie glanced at Keagan. “He’s not getting a shower until he drinks his V-8.”

  Keagan looked at Axel. “You like V-8. What’s the problem?”

  “She’s not my boss. She’s in my house. I’ll do what I want.”

  Karli looked from one of them to the other. “Why didn’t you call me, Axel? I didn’t hear Sylvie come downstairs.”

  “She wore her socks and tiptoed.” Axel didn’t break eye contact with his daughter. “But I can handle her. I don’t need any help.”

  Like hell, he didn’t. Karli wasn’t going to argue about it, though, so leaned against the doorframe to watch the fireworks.

  Sylvie poked a finger at Keagan. “That old man’s sitting there until he drinks his V-8.”

  Keagan ignored her. He pushed Axel’s wheelchair closer to his bed and said, “Need some help getting in?”

  Sylvie came to stand behind the chair. “You’re a neighbor. I’m his daughter. He’ll do what I say.”

  Keagan turned and towered over her. “It’s like this. It’s Axel’s house. He hasn’t been declared incompetent yet, and it won’t happen. He’s plenty sharp. If you were trying to help him, I’d side with you. But you’re just trying to bully him, so go away.”

  Sylvie straightened her shoulders with a smirk. “I just might
challenge all of you. I get to weigh in, or I’m thinkin’ of callin’ the authorities.”

  “Here.” Keagan offered her a phone. “Let’s see where that gets you.”

  “The old man’s a fool. He can’t manage on his own.”

  “No arguments there, but you’re supposed to care for him, not make him miserable.”

  “He deserves it. He made us miserable, and there was nothin’ we could do about it.”

  “I get it. This is your chance for payback, but that’s not the way it’s going to work.”

  Sylvie turned on her heel and stomped upstairs.

  Keagan leveled a gaze on Axel. “Do you have to antagonize her? You’re the one who called and invited her here. Mind your manners or I’m going to be too busy for a few days to check on you.”

  Axel looked at Kurt. “Having my kids here hasn’t turned out so hot.”

  “Anyone could have told you that. You were a crappy dad. Now, come on. Get in the chair. I can’t stay here all night.”

  Karli expected bluster from the old man, but he did as Keagan asked. Keagan didn’t sweet coat anything for him, and he didn’t mind.

  While Keagan washed and scrubbed him, Karli changed Axel’s sheets and laid out clean clothes for him. By the time Keagan was finished trimming his hair and beard, Karli had potato chips and deli coleslaw on the dining room table. Axel enjoyed sitting at the table with them to eat. So did Kurt. Even Sylvie came downstairs.

  When they finally got Axel settled back in his bed, Karli walked Keagan to the door. “Thanks for everything. I have neighbors in Indy, but they aren’t like the people around here.”

  Keagan laughed. “There are too many people in big cities. They can’t be like Mill Pond. That’s why I love it here.”

  She loved Keagan. No, wait. She wasn’t the type to fall in love, but she did like him a lot. More than she’d ever liked any man. Would she be happy living in a small town? What the hell was she thinking? She loved her independence. She’d feel stuck here. Wouldn’t she?

  Chapter 32

  The next morning, another daughter knocked on the door. Karli invited her in and stared. Prim and proper wouldn’t even begin to describe her. Her graying hair was scraped back in a tight bun. No makeup. She wore a long, black skirt and black top.