Holly didn"t know what to do. She was poised awkwardly on the porch, with one foot behind her as she tried to make her escape.
"I..." she said, then paused. "I"ve come to see Captain Haynes, but I"ll come back. This obviously isn"t a good time."
The woman grimaced. "There"s never a good time with that one. He"s the most stubborn, pigheaded, difficult man I"ve ever met." She paused and shook her head. "Why you"d want to see him is beyond me, but you might as well come in. Maybe you can talk some sense into him. Oh, by the way, I"m Louise."
She held the door open. Holly forced herself to walk forward. Once in the house, she shifted her weight from foot to foot and stared at her hostess.
The woman wore a bright yellow long-sleeved shirt tucked into cobalt blue slacks. The silver belt around her trim waist matched the moon-and-star silver earrings she wore. The two women were about the same height, although Holly had come straight from work and still wore two-inch heels.
"What are you doing now?" a male voice inquired. The tone of the question implied the woman was doing something he wouldn"t like.
"Answering the door. Quit being such a baby. You don"t want me in the room with you, but you yell at me if I go away. Make up your mind, Jordan."
"Who is it?" he asked.
Louise rolled her eyes. "One of your women."
"Oh, no," Holly said quickly. "I"m not-"
"Which one?"
Louise glanced at her. "What"s your name?"
"Holly, but I"m not-"
"Holly," she yelled toward the back of the house.
Jordan was silent. Holly figured he was trying to place her.
"I"m not one of Captain Haynes"s women," she said.
Louise smiled. "Then that makes you a smart girl. That boy is nothing but a difficult toad." She shouted the last part of the sentence, aiming the words in the direction of what must be his room. After drawing in a deep breath, she released it slowly. "I"m real sorry I ever agreed to this. He"s going to be the death of me. And Lord knows I"m far too young to die." She paused and drew her eyebrows together. "Who are you, then?"
"I"m Holly Garrett." Holly shifted her package to the other arm and held out her hand. "My apartment was destroyed in that big storm earlier in the week. Captain Haynes went back inside to save my cat." She shook Louise"s hand. "I"m the reason he was injured. Actually Mistletoe is, but I feel responsible."
"Mistletoe?"
"My cat. She got scared once they were out of the apartment and tried to get away. Captain Haynes managed to hold on to her, but in the process he lost his footing on the balcony and fell over the side. I feel terrible about what happened."
Louise"s lips started to twitch. She chuckled for a moment. "Felled by a cat. Serves him right."
"I brought cookies," Holly said, holding out the box. "They"re not much. I couldn"t make them myself. I don"t have a kitchen right now. I wish I did. I really like to cook and bake."
"Louise!" Jordan yelled.
"Wait a minute," she yelled back, then lowered her voice. "He"s going to be flat on his back for two weeks. I don"t think I"m going to last here."
"You"re his...?"
"Housekeeper. It"s a temporary job. Very temporary. You want some coffee?" Louise didn"t wait for an answer. She just headed for the rear of the house.
Holly trailed after her. As they pa.s.sed through the foyer, she noticed the stunning chandelier hanging down from the ceiling two stories up. The tiny crystal teardrops were original. They caught light and created rainbows. The banister was hand carved, the floors in great shape. In her mind"s eye she saw the house as it had once been and what it would be like again, given enough time, money and love.
"He"s through there," Louise said, pointing to a half-closed door.
Holly saw a library and beyond that the foot of a bed in what had once probably been the study.
"How is he?"
Louise snorted. "If his foul temper is anything to go by, he"s improving every hour."
They entered the large kitchen. A tray sat on the table in the center of the room. Louise motioned to it. "Says he won"t eat it. Can you imagine? I"ve been cooking all my life, but Mr. High-and-Mighty doesn"t like it."
Holly glanced at the plate filled with meat loaf, mashed potatoes and vegetables. It smelled wonderful. Her stomach growled. She hadn"t had anything since breakfast, and suddenly she was starving.
Louise smiled. "Help yourself."
"Oh, I couldn"t."
"Louise!" Jordan called again. He sounded furious.
Holly looked at the tray, then in the direction of the makeshift bedroom. She owed Jordan Haynes a big debt. He"d saved her cat. Mistletoe had been her mother"s gift to her the Christmas before she died. A single dinner wouldn"t do much to repay what she owed him, but it could be a start. She didn"t know much about men, but she was intimately familiar with a sick room.
"Maybe I could help," she said cautiously.
Louise planted her hands on her hips. "Honey, you"re welcome to try." She glanced at the clock over the stove. "My evening college cla.s.s starts in forty minutes. I don"t have the time to fix Jordan something else. Why don"t you go introduce yourself and if he takes to you, then be my guest."
"Thank you," Holly said, then headed back the way she"d come. She knew several dishes specially designed to tempt an invalid"s appet.i.te. She"d taken care of her mother for years.
"Oh, and Holly?"
She paused, then glanced over her shoulder. "Yes?"
"Tell the boy to put some clothes on."
Chapter 2.
T ell Jordan to put some clothes on? Holly blinked several times. "You mean he"s-" She couldn"t even say the word, but she could sure think it loudly. Naked?
Louise winked. "You"ll just have to go see for yourself, won"t you? Don"t worry. He hasn"t got anything you haven"t seen a dozen times before."
Holly gave a weak smile, then headed for the study. Actually Louise was wrong. Jordan did have something she had never seen before. At least he did if he was naked.
As she walked through the library, one part of her mind noted the hand-fitted floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and the large crystal light fixtures hanging in each corner. In front of her she could see the bottom of a bed. Her steps slowed. Naked? No, Louise wouldn"t do that to her.
She stopped on the library side of the doorway and cleared her throat. Maybe she should warn him that she was about to enter his room. So if he was, well, naked, he could cover up.