Leath's Legacy Page 17

  “I can’t believe—”

  “Penny was anyone’s.” Another voice joined the discussion. “Anyone who wanted her, that is.”

  “Dad—”

  “She was pretty.” Terry closed the footrest of his chair and looked at Mary. Then he frowned. “She was pretty, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes, she was.”

  “I thought I’d forgotten again. Remember how she always had her hair done, Mary, like she’d just come out of a hairdresser’s.”

  Leath realised the struggle Kirk was having with accepting the facts being aired in this conversation.

  Her breath caught in her throat when he asked his father, “Can you tell Leath about Penny, Dad? She needs to know anything you can remember.”

  “They had parties. Big parties with lots of booze, lots of noise. We’d hear them up here if the wind was blowing this way. We never went, the kids were young. George was a good bloke. He didn’t like her swimming naked in the cove, not when everyone knew. But she kept doing it. She always thought she was so beautiful, but she wasn’t. She was pretty enough on the outside but...”

  When it became obvious Terry wasn’t saying anything more, Leath leaned forward and touched his knee. “I have lots of photos. Could you,” her gaze swung to include Mary, “would you look at them sometime? Help me put some names to faces?”

  “I like photos.” Terry looked around. “Where are they?”

  “Perhaps Terry and I could visit one day?”

  “Would you?” Leath clasped her hands together at her chest. “I’d appreciate that so much.” She chewed her lips. “Thanks for sharing these things with me. They’ve helped me see her as a person, at least. I’m not any closer to knowing her connection to us, but—”

  “She’d be an age to be your grandmother, an older grandmother,” Mary reasoned.

  “That’s what I thought. But Dad’s mother lived close to us and only died a few years ago. I wondered about our mother’s mother—that somehow we’d been estranged—but I found her death certificate. She died where Mum had grown up, in her home town.” Leath shook her head. “Penny wasn’t old enough to be our great grandmother, so...”

  “It’s still all a big mystery?” Mary’s smile was sympathetic.

  Leath nodded.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t help.”

  “Oh, but you have. Just knowing something about her...it’s so, oh I don’t know, comforting, I guess.” With a quick glance toward Kirk, Leath continued. “I feel so bad about her being in a home, and sick, and dying all alone, without anyone there who loved her. We could have been visiting, helping her in some way.”

  “Don’t feel guilty.” Mary shook her head. “Penny Maguire always did exactly what she wanted, how she wanted. The onus was on her. If she’d wanted help she could have asked at any time. She didn’t. So put those thoughts right out of your mind.”

  “Exactly what Robby and our friends keep telling me.” Leath grimaced. “But it doesn’t help. I still feel guilty.” She shrugged and laughed, a little off key.

  The conversation, almost exclusively between Leath and Mary, turned to more general topics and Leath felt more and more relaxed with the older woman.

  When Kirk cleared his throat sometime later and suggested he take her home, Leath was astonished at the time showing on her watch. She leapt to her feet.

  “I enjoyed meeting you.” Mary smiled before giving Leath a hug. “Don’t be a stranger, will you? Give me a ring when you’re up so we can offer you another meal. We’re forever in your debt.”

  Mary’s reference again to the previous evening caused Leath’s cheeks to heat. She had no hesitation in returning the friendly gesture.

  “Someone will drop Tristan down on Saturday.”

  Remembering the earlier conversation of her benefactor’s discrimination, Leath hastily queried, “What about the others? I don’t want to—”

  “Tris will be thrilled. He either has to watch Daniel play cricket or go to Olivia’s ballet class if no-one’s around to watch him. You’ll be doing him a huge favour.” Mary chuckled as she accompanied Leath outside.

  “I’ll enjoy his company.”

  “As long as he doesn’t get in your way,” Kirk muttered as he opened the car door for her.

  Leath bristled at his tone. “He won’t get in my way.” Her mind pushed her other thoughts aside. Tristan’s company she could handle. But his uncle’s? Now that was another story.

  Chapter Twelve

  Silence reigned as the car travelled down the long driveway and onto the road. While it wasn’t quite companionable, Leath realised it wasn’t filled with tension either.

  Giving Kirk a sideward glance, she wondered what was on his mind. She was so abuzz with what she’d learnt about Penny, she’d almost forgotten how this man stirred up unfamiliar emotions.

  “It appears I’ve given you some erroneous information.”

  Leath guessed from the stiffness in his tone how difficult it was for him to admit this. She turned, intending to ease his discomfort. “We can all—”

  “No. Let me finish,” he interrupted as he swung into her driveway.

  Motionless, Leath waited as he stopped beside her front steps and with a slow, deliberate motion, turned off the engine. The area inside the car shrivelled. Had she moved? Or had he? They seemed closer, more alone, more together.

  She forgot to breathe. Her body did nothing to remind her. Fascinated, she watched his grip on the steering wheel tighten before his head swivelled, almost in slow motion, toward her. Even in the gloom of a half-moonlit night, his eyes pierced into her—their colour undistinguishable but their cobalt shade was imprinted in her brain.

  A little pent-up air puffed from her mouth before an ache in her chest registered. Alerted to her body’s need for oxygen, she dragged in little short, sharp pants.

  Anticipating his voice low and husky, and downright sexy, instead his tone came out cool and restrained. “I still can’t believe what Mum told you.” He shook his head. “Penny was so great. She always seemed to be a really, really lovely person. I can’t credit anything else being true.”

  Leath slumped. The heightened sexual nervousness swarming and buzzing through every muscle, every pore of her body crashed with the finality of an aeroplane diving into the ocean. A few ripples extended outward and then calmly disappeared. And it was gone. As if it had never been. Or in this case, shouldn’t have ever been.

  She rummaged around inside her head trying to re-orientate herself...trying to remind herself he’d given her no reason to lose control of her senses...trying to act as stiffly formal as he was.

  Fearing a wobble was still likely in her voice, Leath inclined her head...graciously, she hoped.

  Leath watched Kirk struggle. Finally his faint, lopsided smile warmed her to his battle. “Mum and Dad were both of the same opinion.” His head shook again. “They don’t lie, and I’ve always credited them as good judges of character.”

  The smile grew a little as he acknowledged her presence. “Guess I have to accept there’s truth in what they said.”

  “She was more than one generation away from you, Kirk. You looked at her with a boy’s eyes.”

  “I suppose her great cooking influenced me, too.” His wry chuckle drew her smile.

  “I am sorry for the things I said before, Leath. About you not caring about her or visiting her.” He scrubbed a hand around the back of his neck. “I didn’t realise the circumstances. No excuse for my rudeness, of course.” He leaned toward her, his hand outstretched, his gaze never leaving her face.

  Mindful of her earlier shredded emotions, Leath ignored his hand, instead forcing a bright smile in his general direction before she twisted and snapped open the door. “Don’t worry about it,” she quipped. “I guess we both learnt a few things tonight.” Not least of all the confirmation his presence reduced her into a blithering heap of barely-held-together humanity. She had to get away from him and rediscover her back-bone.

  “Th
anks for the ride. See you sometime.” She firmly shut the car door and with a wave, which she hoped appeared casual, skipped up the steps and through the front door. Slumping against its interior surface, she dragged deep breaths into her lungs, waiting what seemed like an interminable time before his car started up and drove away. Shoving herself away from the door’s support, Leath stumbled into her bedroom.

  What the hell am I going to do now? Her head dropped onto her hands as she sank to the side of her bed. She’d felt a growing attraction for Kirk Buchanan even when she thought he was married and behaving underhanded.

  Now...she groaned, her head sinking even lower. Now he was single and being frighteningly attentive. He was so alluring. And her growing attraction had taken off with a mind of its own. She flung herself onto the bed. What was she supposed to do now?

  Fight it?

  Or give in and allow it to engulf her?

  A delicious shiver ran the length of her body as her furtive imagination forced her toward the second alternative.

  ****

  The next couple of quiet, lonely days passed without incident or interruption by tall, sexy neighbours. While Leath continued working on the Roman unit, her listlessness made progress slow.

  She told herself she needed fill areas for Tristan when he visited on Saturday, but deep inside she acknowledged it was another Buchanan man stealing her enthusiasm. His face kept intruding.

  Mary had phoned Leath with updates on Fiona’s condition. Relieved to hear she was improving by the hour and should be home early the following week, Leath hoped she’d get the opportunity to see Fiona before she had to return to Auckland. Just to satisfy herself her new friend was okay.

  The chirping of her cellphone drew a heavy groan. As she grabbed it off the bench, she scowled at her lack of progress on the south wall of the unit, She was surprised to hear Mary’s voice again.

  “I’m not interrupting?”

  Leath dropped her brush into a can of water and sank onto the floor, her legs crossed. “No, not at all,” she reassured. “I’m in a slump. A break might inspire me.” She smiled as a relieved sigh came down the phone.

  “I was delivering meals on wheels this morning, and I realised one of the women knew Penny quite well. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked her some questions. I thought she might be able to tell us something.”

  Leath stiffened. “And?” Her voice sounded squeaky even to her ears.

  “She couldn’t throw any light on who you and your brother might be.”

  The small phone almost slipped from Leath’s fingers.

  “I’m sorry, Leath.” Excitement still oozed from Mary’s voice. “I found out when she went into care, though. She was at a home in Whangarei.”

  Leath appreciated the other woman’s efforts so didn’t let on she already had this information. “Now the thing is Terry and I are going to visit my sister tomorrow. She lives only a couple of kilometres from the retirement home. I wondered if you’d like to come for the drive. I thought you could see if anyone there knows anything more about her.”

  Leath hadn’t made any firm decision about visiting the retirement home yet. She’d intended going sometime during this sojourn at Greene Valley, she just hadn’t decided when.

  Life had become such a jumbled mess these last few days, she hadn’t been thinking straight about anything. Her painting was suffering through her inattention to detail. Leath made a lightning decision. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, it’ll be company for me. Terry often doesn’t talk. We’ll drop you off and pick you up again.”

  “Okay, you’re on. Thank you so much.” They chatted a few moments more, arranging a time for Mary and Terry to pick Leath up.

  ****

  The car arriving in her driveway next morning didn’t provide the warning it should have. With a quick glance out the kitchen window as she shoved things into her bag, Leath concluded it obviously wasn’t Kirk’s vehicle—as she’d supposed the night he’d picked her up for dinner—but his parents’.

  Rushing out, she secured the front door and turned to skip down the steps.

  Kirk stood beside the open passenger door. Ducking her head, Leath bit her lip at the empty car. Before she could find words to relay her regret she’d changed her mind and wasn’t going to Whangarei—despite the bag hanging on her shoulder and the keys she’d used to lock the house still dangling in her hand—Kirk forestalled her.

  “Mum sends her apologies, but she’s picked up some tummy bug. She feels bad letting you and my Aunt Tilly down, so she asked me to go up.”

  His smile seemed relaxed enough, but Leath’s body had already slammed into overdrive. Spend what equated to almost a whole day alone in his company? The idea caused her pulse to race so fast she was appalled. What if she gave away her feelings? What if...?

  She sucked in a terrified breath. Wild exhilaration ran riot throughout her body. Clinging to the verandah upright, she strove to control her ragged breathing. Strove to control the riveting of her chest, which surely was visible to him. But mostly she must control her wayward thoughts.

  With a huge, deep breath, she straightened her back. The four-by-four post slipped from her stiff fingers. Somehow she managed to get down the steps—without falling in a heap at his feet—and climb into the car.

  “Is Mary all right?”

  Kirk glanced her way as he accelerated onto the road. “She was up vomiting during the night, apparently. I didn’t even hear her, I’m embarrassed to admit. But she said she’s feeling much better, just seedy. A long car journey didn’t appeal, though.”

  “She wasn’t obliged to take me. I can go anytime.”

  “I didn’t even realise she’d offered you a lift. She was worried about getting stuff up to her sister.”

  His unconcerned shrug put Leath’s presence in perspective. He wasn’t doing this trip for her.

  “They go up and visit every fortnight. Aunt Tilly’s on her own now, she’s not coping so well since my uncle died.” A little smile played around his lips. “Mum bakes and takes up vegetables and fruit from the garden.”

  A backward jerk of his head had Leath glancing over her shoulder at the boxes in the back seat. “They were all ready to go on the kitchen table. I couldn’t leave them there.” His smile grew. “Until I loaded them into the car, there wasn’t room to eat breakfast.”

  Imagining Mary’s annoyance at having her plans thwarted, Leath smiled. This mightn’t be so hard. Be friendly, interesting, but not interested, she warned herself. Make small talk.

  She couldn’t sit this close to him for over an hour without something to take her mind away from the lemony smell of his aftershave, the sight of his muscled thigh handy enough to reach out...

  She jerked her head away from the sight of his fingers caressing the steering wheel. A quiver ran through her body as she stifled a groan. Why couldn’t he hold the wheel like any other person?

  Stop! she wanted to scream at him, as her gaze was drawn back to his hands. His right hand held the wheel tightly but his left? His left kept stroking the leather steering wheel cover.

  Did he have a fetish for the texture of leather? Would a girl attract his attention if she was clothed in soft, supple...?

  Leath gasped as she dragged her mind from the gutter. The gutter where, for a moment, she’d pictured herself with him.

  Kirk was talking. Leath discovered she even liked the cadence of his voice. It was strong, yet smooth. Like good coffee. Able to invade a body and send delectable encrypted messages of wellbeing to every last nerve, every cell.

  The sound stopped. Frowning, Leath forced her head around to face him. His odd look suggested he’d asked a question.

  Stupid!

  Stupid, stupid, stupid, she berated biting her lip. Her mind raced to cover her gaffe. “I’m sorry, my mind was elsewhere.” Boy, was it elsewhere.

  She wasn’t obligated to tell him where, thank goodness. “What did you say?”

  “Apparently Penny ele
cted to shift into Wainui Retirement Village. She wasn’t forced by ill health or anything.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Inane, but the best she could manage right now.

  “What are you hoping to discover today?”

  With a deep breath, Leath focused on Penny Maguire. If she could hold her benefactor foremost in her mind, she’d stop these other ridiculous thoughts from surfacing.

  “Ah, I don’t know, really. She had her solicitor as her next of kin at the retirement home in Auckland, so I guess the same will apply here. But if she was well when she first arrived, maybe they’ll have more detailed records.” She turned to Kirk. “Do you think so?”

  His shrug deflated any growing hope. “The other possibility is her friends. She couldn’t live there for over five years without making friends and letting some of her life stories escape,” he said.

  Leath clutched at the bag on her knee. “That’s what I’m hoping. Someone will know something, I’m sure.”

  “Perhaps you’d better try talking to any male friends first.”

  A quick glance showed Kirk’s comment had been made somewhat tongue in cheek.

  Leath smiled. With the knowledge she now had of Penny’s personality, she decided Kirk could be right. She’d ask to talk to any men Penny might have been close to.

  ****

  Leath’s text telling him she was ready to be picked up arrived much sooner than he expected. Making his excuses to his aunt, he breathed a prayer of thankfulness.

  Talking with Aunt Tilly had soon become a burden. She was so engrossed in her own misery, Kirk felt like he’d been there all day. Why she can’t be more like her sister? he railed as he waved a cheery goodbye.

  All his suggestions of joining senior groups and getting out of the house had been met with disdainful negativity. He’d talk to his mother, organise a strategy plan to force his aunt to carry on living, even if it was without her beloved husband.

  As he drove into the retirement village, Kirk sighted Leath sitting in the garden. Although a book rested on her knee, her gaze was staring off into the clouds.

  He smiled, watching her. She seemed relaxed, at peace. Had she discovered anything new? He hoped so. Now he understood the situation, he realised how much she needed answers. The mystery must be eating at her. If she hasn’t succeeded today, I’ll find some way to help, he vowed. It would give him a legitimate excuse to see her regularly.