An Unexpected Rescue (Oak Springs Series Book 1) Read online

  Derik and Kelly walked down the front steps of the apartment building. When she started chewing her bottom lip, he cleared his throat and said, “What did you think?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It is the least expensive I’ve seen so far. With the bill for the car and no job, I’ve got to make a decision soon . . . really soon.”

  She hurried down the walk, digging in her purse for her keys and mumbling to herself. The words disgusting and desperate were uttered loud enough for Derik to hear. She crawled into her car, threw her hand out the window, and waved as she pulled away from the curb.

  Chapter 5

  The next night, Kelly was lying on the bed reading when her phone rang. When she answered, Derik asked, “Are you in your room? I’m downstairs, and I need to talk to you. Are you up for a visit?”

  “You’re downstairs? Here? At the hotel? Why? What do you need to see me about?”

  “Actually, I have a minor emergency, and I could use your help. May I come up?”

  “Why don’t I run down there and meet—” She stopped when there was a loud knock on her door. “Hang on.” She looked through the peephole and saw Derik standing in the hallway with his cell phone against his ear.

  When she opened the door, he turned off his phone and dropped it into his pocket. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

  Kelly slid her phone into her jeans. “What’s the emergency?” she asked, without letting him in.

  “I just got a call for a tow. A pickup went off an embankment about thirty miles north of town. It’s submerged, upside down, in the lake. This is going to be an all-nighter. The guy who usually watches the kids when I get called out isn’t answering. He’s either tied up, or he’s avoiding me. Either way, I’ve got to take care of this, and I need someone to stay with the boys. They’ll go to bed, and you can read or watch television. There’s even a guest room, so you can get some sleep after they’re down. I’ll pay you, of course. You said you were looking for a job, and Kelly, I could really use a hand here.”

  “What about Penny or one of your teenagers?”

  He shook his head. “Penny won’t stay with the boys. One of the girls is playing in the band, at the high school football game, and the other is grounded, for some sin or another. I’m in a bind here. I can’t take them with me. Did I say that I pay really well?”

  Kelly combed her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know, Derik. I’ve never met your boys, and they don’t know me. What if they freak out about a strange babysitter for the whole night?”

  “The boys won’t freak. What do you say?”

  Kelly sighed. “Okay, let me grab a few things.” She closed the door, leaving him standing in the hall with his hands in his pockets. A few minutes later, she opened the door, holding her suitcase. Derik took the bag from her and motioned toward the elevator.

  “I’ll follow you to your house so I can leave early in the morning,” she said. They exited the hotel, and he put her bag in the back of his truck while she jogged across the lot to her car. After driving a few miles, Derik turned into a long driveway leading to a two-story house. There was a car parked in the gravel drive. A two-man tent stood next to the house. On the lawn were two bicycles, a birdbath, and several trees. The largest one had steps nailed to its trunk, and a treehouse was nestled in the limbs.

  Derik was getting her bag out of his truck when she parked her car. “Come on in. The neighbor agreed to sit with the kids while I ran into town and begged you to come back with me.”

  He opened the door, and Kelly stepped into a comfortable and roomy kitchen. It was separated from the living room by a bar, which was covered with two backpacks, a ball glove, a batting helmet, and a bowl of apples.

  An elderly woman with blue hair slowly lifted herself out of a living room chair. “The boys are upstairs, Derik. They’ve been little angels, quiet as a mouse since you left,” she said.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Price. I’m sorry for bothering you this late. Can you make it home okay? Would you like me to drive you?” Derik said as he walked with the woman to her car. Kelly noticed when he handed her some folded money, which she placed in her pocket before patting his cheek. When her car turned onto the road, he ran back into the house.

  “Give me a minute.” He walked to the bottom of the stairway. “Boys, front and center,” he called. There was the sound of footsteps and little voices before two small boys, dressed in superhero pajamas, exploded down the stairs. “Hey, guys, listen up. This is Kelly Hastings. She’ll be staying here tonight while I go and pull a truck out of Lake Carpenter. You know what’s expected of you, so make me proud.”

  He placed his hand on a brown-headed, brown-eyed boy. “This is my oldest, Derik Conner, better known as D.C., but he also answers to Spider-Man during extreme emergencies.” Next, he put his hand on a black-haired boy with dark green eyes lined with the same thick lashes as his father. “This is Winston, but we call him Win. His alias would be Superman.”

  Derik squatted in front of the boys. “Homework done?” When they both nodded, he asked, “Teeth brushed?” Again, the heads bobbed. “Toys put away?” The two looked at each other and then slowly shook their heads. “Okay, let’s get that problem taken care of right away. Deal?” The children smiled and nodded.

  Derik rose to his feet. “Have you given up on baseball, D.C.? That looks like your gear on the counter, and the only reason you’d put it there is so I can dump it in the trash.” The boy ran to the kitchen, scooped the glove and batting helmet into his arms, and headed upstairs. There was a loud thump above Kelly’s head, then he hurried back. Derik ruffled his son’s hair and gave him a wink. He hugged the boys and told them to be in bed in thirty minutes.

  Kelly walked Derik to the kitchen. “Like I said, this is going to take a while. My room’s the one at the end of the hall, and you’ll be able to recognize the boys’ rooms. The other is the guest room. Make yourself comfortable. Thank you again, Kelly. I’ll see you in the morning.” He went to his truck and waved as he backed out of the garage. She closed and locked the kitchen door then took a deep breath before heading upstairs.

  The boys were putting their toys away when she reached the top floor. Their rooms were across the hall from each other, one in a Superman motif and the other decorated in a Spider-Man theme.

  “What do we call you?” Superman asked.

  “She’s a grown-up. We have to call her Ms. Hastings,” Spider-Man said to his brother.

  “You may call me Kelly, if that’s okay with your dad. Now, if you guys get finished before bedtime, I’ll read you a story. Would you like that?”

  They had the toys put away in a flash. There was a big debate about which book they wanted to hear, so Kelly took the top two choices and shuffled them behind her back. “When I was around your age, we had a dog named Lucy, and she had puppies. Now, you each get to guess how many you think she had. Whoever comes the closest gets to pick the hand.” Spider-Man guessed three; Superman said five. “She actually had eight puppies, so Superman gets to pick,” Kelly said. Win chose her right hand. “And, since he picked the hand, we get to crawl into Spider-Man’s bed to hear the story.” The boys snuggled against Kelly as she read. When the story was over, she tucked them into their beds and kissed each one on the forehead.

  She checked the locks throughout the house and turned off the lights, except for the one over the kitchen sink. That one she left on for Derik.

  Kelly took her bag upstairs and found the simply furnished guest room. The walls were a soft green with matching drapes and duvet cover. She went into the adjoining bathroom and showered. After making sure the boys were asleep, she crawled into bed.

  Derik walked into the kitchen around three in the morning and immediately noticed the light over the sink. He knew neither of the boys could reach the switch, which meant Kelly had left it on for him. It
had been awhile since someone had done something so thoughtful for him. He was unsure why, but that put a warm feeling in his heart.

  He climbed the stairs, checked on the boys, and headed toward bed. As he reached his room, he noticed the door across the hall was slightly open. He saw Kelly, lying on her side, with one arm bent under her head. For a moment, he stood and watched her sleep. She intrigued him. He forced himself to leave her door and go to his room, before she woke and screamed bloody murder. He laughed as he remembered when Kelly pointed her mace at him.

  Chapter 6

  Derik woke to laughter and voices coming from the floor below. He stepped into a pair of sweat pants and slowly crept down the stairs. He could hear his boys and the clatter of plates and silverware. Kelly was pouring milk into two bowls of cereal, D.C. was carrying a plate of toast to the table, and Win was behind him with two glasses of juice. The boys climbed into their chairs and began eating. “Kelly, can I pick the book you read tonight?” D.C. asked.

  “I’m sorry, D.C., but I won’t be here tonight. I was only staying with you because your dad had to work last night. That reminds me, he’s still asleep, so let’s keep the noise level down.”

  “Yeah,” Win said around a mouthful of toast, “he gets grumpy when he has to work late and we wake him up.”

  “Are you going to come back and baby-sit us again? If you tell Daddy we were good, he might let you come for another sleepover the next time he has to work late,” D.C. said.

  “Hey, guys,” Derik said as he walked into the kitchen and ruffled the hair of both boys. He looked at Kelly and smiled. “Good morning. Sleep well?”

  “Yes, I slept great.” Her heart skipped a beat as she took in the whiskered chin, bare feet, rumpled hair, and casual t-shirt and sweats. “Did you get enough rest? Do you work today, seeing as it’s Saturday? If you need to go back to bed, I can watch the boys a while longer.”

  “Thanks, but I’m okay. I don’t usually work on the weekends. That’s when the boys and I clean the house, then we try to find something fun to do.”

  “Can I fix you breakfast before I go?”

  “No thanks. I’ll get a bowl of cereal. Did you eat? You’re welcome to stay and join us.”

  “Yeah,” the boys said together.

  “You can eat some of my cereal,” D.C. said.

  “No, you can have some of mine,” said Win.

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll go back to the hotel now. I have to meet a man about a house in a couple of hours, although I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it. The rent’s even more than the apartment we saw.”

  “I hope you aren’t seriously considering that place.” Derik shuddered when he caught the look on her face. “You are, aren’t you?”

  “So far it’s the cheapest place I’ve found,” she said with a lift of her shoulders. “I know, you get what you pay for, but it won’t be that bad after a good scrubbing, and some TLC.” When she saw his raised eyebrow she said, “Okay, maybe a lot of TLC.”

  Derik took a mug from the cupboard as she talked and poured himself a cup of coffee. When he lifted the pot, she raised her cup for a refill.

  He nodded toward the table. “When do you have to make a decision?”

  She slid into a chair. “I don’t know. I’m in a catch 22. I can’t stay at the hotel indefinitely. It’s too expensive. I need to pack and get everything moved out of my apartment. That has to be done by the end of the month, which is just two weeks away. I can’t take care of that without my car, and I can’t get my car until I pay you. I can’t pay you until I get some money. When I return my keys to my landlord and get my deposit back, I’ll be able to make the first payment, but I still need to find a job as soon as possible. In the middle of all that, I also have to find a place to live.”

  “Yep, sounds like a problem to me,” Derik said.

  Kelly drew designs in her coffee with her spoon. “Derik, you offered me a job the other day. Is that offer still good?”

  “Yeah, are you interested? Of course, nothing can be decided before I hear from my board of directors,” he said as he winked at the boys.

  “Before you talk to them, may I ask for one small change to the agreement?” she said hesitantly. “This is just an idea, and I’ll understand if you say no, but what if I rent your guest room? Just until this situation is cleared up. Renting a room is usually cheaper than an entire apartment. I’d do the housework, except for their chores,” she said, nodding toward the children with a grin, “and I’d cook the meals. Plus, I’d be a sitter when you’re called out. Or even when you go out for the evening.”

  She took her cup to the dishwasher. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but please think about it. If you’d like, I can get a reference from my current landlord. I’ve been there five years, with no complaints. Do a background check on me. I promise it will come back clean.” She looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go. I’ll grab my bag and get out of your way.” She hurried up the stairs.

  The boys were staring at Derik with spoons suspended in mid-air. He looked from one to the other. “What?”

  “What’s rent?” Win asked, before stuffing the cereal in his mouth.

  “Rent’s what you pay to live in a place that belongs to someone else.”

  “So Kelly wants to live in our house, in the guest room?” asked D.C. He turned toward his brother and smiled. “That means she reads my story tonight.”

  “Wait a minute, guys. Don’t get too excited. I haven’t said yes. This is something I have to think about.”

  Kelly came down the stairs with her bag. “I’m out of here. Goodbye, boys. Goodbye, Derik.”

  Derik walked to the kitchen door. “I’ll be right back, guys.” He took the luggage from her hand and escorted her to the car. As she slid into the seat, he said, “Thanks for last night, for watching the boys.” He snapped his fingers and said, “Oh man! I forgot to pay you. Hang on. I’ll be right back.” He turned and ran into the house.

  Derik took the stairs two at a time. He grabbed the wallet from his dresser, and as he stepped back into the hallway, he glanced into the guest room. The bed was made, and the room looked untouched, but Derik noticed a soft, subtle scent. It was a combination of strawberries and honey. He knew Kelly had left her mark on that room, just as if she’d painted her name on every wall. He hurried back and handed her the money. “Thank you again for watching the boys on such short notice. It sounds like they like you.”

  “You have sweet kids, Derik. I enjoyed it.”

  Before closing the door, Derik said, “And thanks for leaving the light on for me.”

  When Kelly returned to the hotel, she unpacked her bag and readied herself for the appointment. She called for directions then drove three miles to an area of town that immediately made her feel uncomfortable. She parked behind an old, rusty truck and went to the front door. A man pushed the screen open and introduced himself as Chester Franks. He was a few inches taller than she was and at least two hundred pounds heavier. The walls of the vacant house echoed their footsteps, as well as Chester’s loud breathing, as he led her from room to room. Kelly cringed when she realized the place was in worse shape than the apartment. She could see potential, if it were cleaned and fumigated, but she didn’t know if anything would be able to get rid of the smell. An animal, or maybe two, had apparently died under the house. Chester didn’t seem to notice the odor, but she spent the entire time trying to keep from gagging.

  They arrived back in the front room, and Chester said, “That’s it. Would you like to walk through again, to make sure you saw everything?”

  “Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary. Thank you for your time. I’ll let you know what I decide.” She hurried out the front door and took a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air. She drove back to the inn with the car windows down.

  As soon as Kelly
entered her hotel room, she jumped in the shower. The house, the stench, and even Chester Franks had made her want to scrub her body clean. That place is definitely off my list. She shuddered as she lathered her hair a third time.

  After a restless night, Kelly dressed in a soft skirt and butter yellow blouse then drove to the little white church a few blocks from the inn. She stood inside the sanctuary, looking for a seat, when she heard a small voice shout her name.

  D.C. was on his knees in the pew, watching people file into the church. Suddenly, he saw Kelly step through the door. He patted his father on the shoulder. “Daddy, Kelly’s here.” He immediately stood in the seat and waved. “Kelly! Hi, Kelly. Come sit with us.”

  Derik, along with several other people, turned and glanced toward the back of the room. Kelly was waving at D.C. Her eyes fell to Derik, and she smiled again. He nodded and motioned for her to join them. There was a shuffling of seats as D.C. and Win began to make room for her. When Kelly sat down, the boys were between her and Derik. She smiled and settled into the pew.

  The brothers grew antsy after the sermon started and had to be shushed more than once. When they began to bump elbows and giggle, Kelly and Derik traded places with them, ending up next to each other. Their shoulders touched, and Kelly glanced at Derik, who grinned and winked before turning his attention back to the pulpit. The butterflies in Kelly’s stomach made it hard for her to concentrate on the sermon, or anything else except Derik’s warm body next to hers.