Larkspur Road Read online

  Oh, no, not you, too.

  She frowned at her niece.

  “Um, going now,” Britt said lightly. “I really need to get some sleep. Have to be at work early tomorrow.” Her slender figure edged slowly toward the hall. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Tanner.”

  “Call me Travis,” he said, his gaze still glued to Mia’s face.

  “G’night, Aunt Mia.”

  “Don’t forget to set your alarm, Britt.”

  Mia heard the fading sound of Britt’s flip-flops on the wood floor as she padded toward the guest room, heard the click of her door closing. Samson had given up trying to get Mia to notice him and was lying down on the rug, looking dejected, his chin on his paws.

  She felt the tension in her shoulders and tried to relax. Okay, so she’d acted like a shrew, but it had thrown her, seeing Travis standing in her living room like that.

  She’d been thinking about Aunt Winny destroying Gram’s wedding quilt all during the drive back from town. She’d heard a great deal about that quilt—and had even seen an old photo of it once. It was hand pieced and hand quilted, with a double wedding ring pattern and exquisite scalloped edges. According to family lore, the quilt had been passed down through the women in her family for at least four generations and was originally believed to bring all the brides it was gifted to good luck. But that luck had certainly run out after it was burned to ashes only weeks before Gram’s wedding.

  She’d been trying to figure out why no one had ever told her Winny was responsible for that. And even as she’d turned onto Larkspur Road, she’d been struggling still to wrap her head around the idea that Gram’s own sister could have done something so terrible.

  The last thing she’d expected when she reached home was to find Travis’s car taking up half her driveway, and Travis in her living room talking to Britt. Even more disconcerting was that he looked just as good with his clothes on as with half of them off.

  How was she supposed to act cool and indifferent when he stood there all gorgeous, relaxed, and at ease while her heart was skittering all over the place? She didn’t want to look at hard, rugged features that were embedded in her heart, or at his tall, buff frame. And she certainly didn’t want to gaze into blue eyes that still held the power to unsettle her.

  “Fine, since you’re here, you may as well sit down,” she said with what she hoped was an indifferent shrug. She knew she sounded rude. But seeing Travis here in her house, after all these years, was throwing her off her game.

  “After you.”

  “Always the gentleman,” Mia muttered under her breath, but he heard her. One dark eyebrow shot up.

  Travis had always had impeccable manners. He’d even come to her door and broken up with her politely all those years ago the night after his prom. Short and sweet.

  I can’t do this anymore. Good-bye and good luck. Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.

  Her jaw set, she sank down on the sofa. Immediately, Samson leaped up, landed in her lap, and began licking her cheek. Gently, she stroked the soft fur under his chin as Travis took the armchair, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

  He looked big and powerful in this small, cozy house. If she was a bad guy, she definitely wouldn’t want to tangle with him in a dark alley. But she suddenly noticed the tension in his neck and the worried look in his eyes. Concern immediately edged out the shock she’d felt at seeing him in her home.

  “What’s this all about?” she asked quickly.

  “A favor. It’s not for me,” he added grimly. “It’s for Grady.”

  “What sort of favor?”

  Travis kept his gaze trained on her face, wondering why she always had to look so damned adorable. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail. Her mint green scoop-necked tee hugged her breasts. With her shapely legs encased in white capris and her toenails glistening shell pink in those delicate white sandals, Mia looked good enough to devour in one slow, delicious bite.

  Or, he thought, in a thousand tiny nibbles. He tried to concentrate solely on her heart-shaped face, but it was equally distracting. Even without a touch of makeup except for a trace of lip gloss, her skin glowed creamy and he had to be careful not to let himself get drawn in by those dark-lashed amber eyes watching him so seriously.

  “I need you to tutor Grady in English and earth science.”

  She looked startled. And the instant she opened her mouth to reply, Travis knew she was going to refuse.

  “This is a kid who used to love to read,” he continued before she could get the words out. “And now he’s flunking fifth grade. His school in California wants to hold him back and force him to repeat the entire year. The only way to prevent that is for him to pass a proficiency test. A tough one.”

  He hurried on, keeping his tone firm, professional, as it was when he laid a case out before an FBI supervisor or a federal prosecutor.

  “I’ve already been in touch with his school district in Los Angeles and they’ve agreed to email me the curriculum requirements and textbook information. Lissie tells me you’re the best teacher in Lonesome Way. Hands down. So here I am.” His gaze held hers. “I’m desperate, Mia. And I’m throwing myself on your mercy.”

  “Travis, I’m sorry about Grady.” She bit her lip. “You seem to have been very busy trying to help him.”

  “Not busy enough.” Travis’s eyes were grim. “Some of this is my fault. And I need to fix it.”

  Regret as well as worry flickered in his face. She searched his eyes, thinking how once, long ago, she’d been able to look at Travis and understand everything he was thinking and feeling. But not anymore.

  “I know you’re worried about him, but I’m afraid I can’t help. I’m not a tutor. The good news is, I know several people who are.”

  Rising, she started toward the kitchen where she kept a notepad and pen. “I’ll give you some numbers. You should start with Mary Carnes. She’s a wonderful tutor. She—”

  “I don’t want Mary Carnes.” Travis sprang out of the chair and reached her in two swift strides. His fingers closed around her arm, gently but firmly turning her back toward him.

  “I want you.”

  For one awful moment, the double meaning of those words seemed to hang in the air between them. Mia felt her cheeks burning.

  “You know what I mean,” Travis said quickly.

  “I know exactly what you mean. But I’m not available.” For tutoring or anything else.

  “You could be, if you wanted to, couldn’t you? Look, Mia, I know you don’t owe me a damned thing. I’m sorry for what happened between us all those years ago. I was a jerk. Young and stupid. And I treated you like crap. You deserved a whole lot better. But we were kids then, and this is now, and you’re a teacher. A boy needs your help. Can’t you forget that he’s my son?”

  For a moment his quiet, insistent tone and the desperate look in his eyes sent a twinge of impossible-to-ignore compassion stabbing through her heart.

  He was still holding her arm and the warmth of his fingers was distracting. Unnerving. Just like his nearness.

  She’d nearly forgotten what this was like—standing so close to Travis. The intense chemical attraction that had been set off the first moment they spoke in the halls of Lonesome Way High School was still there. It licked through her, hot as a stray spark from a campfire. He was standing so close to her she could see the sexy five o’clock stubble trailing along his jaw, the glint in his seen-it-all eyes. She was intensely aware of the sheer force of will of this man who had kissed her years ago with a hunger and tenderness she’d never been able to forget.

  But Travis was no longer that high school boy she’d loved. He was a man, a formidable one. An FBI agent, accustomed to forging his way through a world that was bigger, harsher, and more dangerous than anything she’d ever encountered. He knew what he wanted and he went after it with single-minded purpose.

  But he was doomed to disappointment in this case, Mia told herself. Just as he’d changed, she had, too. She wasn’
t the impressionable girl she’d been back then, naïve and in love. She was every bit as strong willed as he was now. And he’d just have to deal with that.

  If he thought an apology and the touch of his hand on her arm would turn her into a mass of Silly Putty, he was wrong.

  “This has nothing to do with you and me. Mary Carnes is an excellent tutor. I’m a teacher,” she explained firmly.

  “True. But you offered to tutor Ivy when she started sixth grade, didn’t you?”

  So. Lissie had told him that. Thanks, Liss. She sighed. “That was different.”

  “Different how?”

  “I’ve known Ivy since she was born. She seemed uneasy about starting middle school, and I was only trying to make her feel more comfortable, more confident—” She cut herself off. “I don’t owe you any explanations, Travis. There are plenty of competent tutors in this town. Any one of them can help your son—”

  “Competent doesn’t cut it. I’m not taking chances with Grady’s future. If you’re the best—and according to my sister, you are—then it has to be you.”

  He released her arm and paced toward the window, scraping a hand through his hair.

  “Look”—he wheeled back toward her—“Lissie told me you really care about kids, that you go to bat for them, stay after school to help, that they trust you. I can’t believe you’d turn away a boy who desperately needs a helping hand. And believe me, he does need it, Mia. Grady’s in trouble, in more ways than one. He needs a win here. He needs to know he can work hard and make a positive change in his life. This kid has a lot of catching up to do. It’s going to take the best to get him through.”

  An image of the boy she’d seen at Sage Ranch flashed through her mind. The loneliness and joylessness in his face as he threw sticks for the dogs, unsmiling and alone.

  She felt a wavering inside her. No. No, no, no.

  “What other kind of trouble is he in?” she heard herself ask even as a part of her shouted to just stay out of it.

  “He’s been screwing up in a lot of ways. I’m not making excuses for him, but…he’s been through a lot. Can we just sit down for a minute and talk?”

  She hesitated, fighting a battle with herself. And losing. Taking a breath, she nodded, knowing this was probably a big mistake. But she couldn’t say no. She walked to the sofa and he followed, seating himself beside her.

  “I’m listening,” she murmured, against her better judgment.

  “Grady’s had a lot going wrong in his life lately.” Travis shook his head, a gesture filled with regret and coiled frustration. “First there was his mom and me getting divorced. And then Val remarried. The guy’s from L.A., a big-shot corporate type, owns a chain of luxury hotel properties around the world. Within a few months, he convinced Val to sell her house and he moved her and Grady out to La-La Land.”

  “Any move to a new city can be rough on a child,” she agreed.

  “And in this case, it definitely was. But it’s not only that.” Travis’s mouth twisted. “I let him down. I haven’t been as involved in his life over the past few months as I used to be. As I should have been. I was too damned busy chasing bad guys for the bureau.”

  “I’m sure you did your best.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, she wondered why she was defending him, reassuring him. Probably because he looked so dejected, so full of regret.

  “Don’t sugarcoat it. I should have done better. A whole lot better. Especially since Grady and Val’s new husband don’t get along. I just found out recently that Grady was getting into fights at school. He stopped doing homework and let his studies slide over the last few months before the semester ended. I’m no psychiatrist,” he muttered, leaning back on the sofa, his face tight, “but I’m guessing he’s acting out because he can’t stand his stepfather—and from what I’ve heard he has good reason.”

  “And that is?”

  Travis’s gaze hardened. “The guy seems to put him down nonstop. Tells him he’s a loser, he’s stupid—stuff like that.”

  “Emotional abuse.” Mia felt a clutch of dismay. “Travis, that can be as harmful as physical abuse.”

  “I know. I’m going to deal with it, believe me. Going to deal with Val and that asshole, too. Whatever it takes to protect Grady. But in the meantime, he needs to do something this summer, too. He needs to work on passing that test. If he can somehow turn this around, get accepted into sixth grade through his own hard work, I think it’d go a long way toward building up his confidence.”

  “You’re right,” she said slowly. “He needs to believe in himself again.”

  “And he needs to believe in me.”

  This time as his eyes met hers she saw not only regret, but an ironclad determination.

  “This kid feels defeated. These last months must have seemed like the whole world was lined up against him. That’s no way for a ten-year-old to feel.”

  Mia felt an ache deep in her heart. For the boy. And for the man.

  This was the Travis she knew. The Travis who wanted to right the wrongs of the world. The Travis who’d taught his younger brother, Jake, to be a protector, as he’d been, on the playground. Travis had always displayed a sense of decency and fairness, even back in high school when other kids only cared about belonging to the right cliques, the right clubs, being the best at this or that….

  Her throat felt dry. “What you’re trying to do for Grady—it’s a wonderful thing. He’s…very lucky to have you.”

  “I can’t help him alone. He needs you, too, Mia.”

  She looked away.

  What was she getting herself into? Her better judgment warned her to stay out of this—away from Travis and his son. But something else was pulling her in.

  A young boy needed help. What Grady accomplished this summer—or didn’t accomplish—could mark a vital turning point that might affect him over the course of his entire life.

  It could make a difference for him in everything that followed.

  And that was what teachers did—and always hoped to do. Make a difference.

  Could she really walk away from him? Turn her back on a child? Travis’s child, she thought, and her heart constricted.

  She knew the answer.

  She stood up, paced away a few steps as she braced herself.

  “All right, I’ll do it.” She turned back, returning to stand before him. “We’ll start with two-hour sessions four times a week, and see how it goes.”

  “Whoa, thank you.” Grinning, Travis surged to his feet and without thinking reached for her and scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed no more than a puff of air. With a whoop that set Samson barking, he whirled her in a circle, his grin widening as she gasped and then began to laugh. He laughed, too, and then with one final spin, set her back down on her feet with a soft plunk.

  But she was so dizzy with laughter she swayed, and his strong arms quickly slid around her waist, steadying her.

  “Whoa, again,” he said softly.

  A rush of sensations enveloped her.

  For one breathless moment she just leaned against him, her arms lifting to slide around his neck.

  For stability, she told herself. Nothing more.

  She breathed in the clean leather-and-soap scent of him, intensely conscious of the hard steel of his body pressed against hers. Even Travis’s muscles seemed to have muscles. His eyes gleamed into hers and she couldn’t look away.

  This feels good. Dangerously, crazily good, she thought, and knew she should pull back, put some distance between the two of them. Right now.

  But she couldn’t. Not just yet….

  “Sorry about that. I got carried away.” But Travis didn’t look the least bit sorry. He looked pleased—with himself and with her—and he still had his arms clasped firmly around her waist. He smiled down into her eyes.

  “Thanks for helping my son. I won’t ever forget it.”

  “Grady’s lucky to have you in his corner.” She hoped her voice sounded steadier than she felt. Sh
e drew in a breath and tried to lasso her emotions back under control.

  “Lissie has my email. Tell her to forward me the curriculum requirements and the textbook info. If you or your ex-wife can contact Grady’s teachers and find out the areas where he was weakest, that would be a big help. Bring him by on Monday at two. I’ll make sure I study the requirements by then and…and I’ll map out some initial lesson plans.”

  “We’ll be here.” His gaze was locked on hers.

  She hoped he hadn’t noticed that her voice was a little too breathless to be completely businesslike.

  “I owe you, Mia. Big-time.”

  “No, you don’t,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “I’m doing this for Grady…not for you.”

  “Yeah, teach, I think I got that.”

  She laughed then. She couldn’t help it. Travis had always had a way of making her laugh. As his eyes glinted down into hers, she felt her heart lurching into dangerous territory.

  Fortunately, her sense of self-preservation kicked in and she did step back then. Away from his touch. Out of the circle of his arms.

  It seemed to her that he released her reluctantly, then hooked his thumbs in his pockets, watching her as she pushed a loose strand of blond hair from her eyes.

  “Tell me what the going rate is for tutors. I’ll double it.”

  “I don’t want your money, Travis.”

  A frown creased between his brows. “Sorry, if you think you’re doing this for free, think again.”

  “Not for free exactly. I have a better idea.”

  He lifted a brow.

  “Whatever you were planning to pay me, why don’t you make a donation in that amount instead? I’m cochair of the fund-raising committee for Bits and Pieces. Our quilt exhibition is next month. All of the money is going to the Loving Arms shelter. It would be great if you’d contribute to that.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  He smiled at her suddenly, and Mia finally fully woke to the fact that Travis Tanner was here in her house, smiling at her. That same smile she remembered so well—only—if possible—even more devastatingly sexy.