Bold and Brave-Hearted Page 13

  “I had an accident a couple of weeks ago,” Jay said. “And I’ve been having problems with my, uh, eyes.”

  “Can you see at all?”

  “I, uh, I’m wearing patches. The problem’s supposed to clear up in a couple of weeks.”

  “Of course, I understand. Once a week we have an orientation class that can help with mobility and an adaptive cooking program—”

  “I don’t think I need a class. By the time I took the class, I’d probably be able to see just fine.”

  Realizing Jay was backpedaling from the reason they’d come to the Institute, Kim said, “We were just planning to check out what programs you have available now and then perhaps later—”

  “Later I’ll be fine.”

  “As I recall,” Kim continued, “you have a small store with useful items for those who are visually impaired.”

  “We do indeed.” The young woman tilted her head. “Your voice sounds very familiar, miss. Quite distinctive but I can’t quite place it. Have you been in before?”

  “Two or three years ago I did a story on—”

  “Oh, my gracious, you’re Kimberly Lydell of KPRX. I listen to you on TV all the time. You’re my favorite newscaster.”

  “Fans fall at her feet wherever she goes,” Jay said under his breath, a teasing smile in his voice.

  She punched him with her elbow again. “That’s very kind of you to say, Sherry. I’m glad you enjoyed the program.”

  “Oh, yeah, you’re terrific, but I’ve missed you lately. Did you get changed to the morning show? I don’t get up so early, you know. I don’t have to be here until nine and still I’m in such a rush I never have the time to watch TV.” She picked up the phone on her desk and spoke to someone on the intercom, announcing Kim’s presence—and her status as Paseo del Real’s most popular newscaster.

  “I’m not actually on-air any longer,” Kim tried to tell the receptionist, but it was too late. From every direction, staff members began appearing in the lobby, ostensibly with other business to conduct but all of them glancing at Kim, even those with severely limited vision.

  She ducked her head and shifted her scarf to cover her shattered cheek although, rationally, she knew most of the employees wouldn’t be able to see her clearly, much less her scars.

  Finally, Eric Robinson, the director of the institute appeared with his guide dog, Sage.

  “Ms. Lydell, it’s good to see you again.”

  She shook his extended hand and made introductions, briefly explaining the situation. Within minutes, Eric had swept them into the room off the lobby that served as a store for adaptive equipment.

  “Now then, what can I entice you with?” Eric asked. “A talking watch? Very helpful for the visually impaired.”

  “I don’t need—”

  “It’s not very expensive, Jay. And I was worried you wouldn’t know when to—”

  “Okay, okay.”

  She frowned at him. Jay was suddenly beyond grumpy, absolutely bristling about something. Oddly, this time she didn’t think it had anything to do with his temporary blindness.

  Eric worked his way down a glass-top counter, running through an entire catalog of adaptive equipment for both home and office.

  When Jay gave no indication of interest in anything, Kim said, “The liquid-level indicator would be good. You burned your fingers on the coffee this morning.”

  He grumbled his agreement.

  The man’s mood had definitely gone from glum to morose and Kim wondered what had set him off this time.

  “What about a Scrabble game with raised letters?” she asked. “We could play—”

  “You’d wipe me out, blue eyes. How ’bout the cards instead? You ever play poker?”

  “Well, no, not really.”

  “Great. Put ’em in the shopping cart, Eric, ol’ buddy.”

  Eric didn’t react to Jay’s rude tone, simply setting the cards aside and moving on.

  “We have a folding white cane that is quite practical,” Eric said.

  Tension radiated from Jay, his fingers flexing into fists, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “I don’t want a white cane.”

  “That, of course, is your choice,” Eric said smoothly.

  Kim didn’t like the feel of this whole situation, and it was Jay who was behaving out of character. “We’ll take the watch, the level indicator and the cards, Eric. Maybe later we’ll come back for some of the other—”

  “Over my dead body,” Jay muttered.

  As quickly as she could, Kim arranged payment and shooed Jay out the door. In the parking lot, she whirled on him and jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

  “What the hell was going on in there between you and Eric?”

  “Eric?” he mocked, sing-songing his name. “How old is that guy, anyway?”

  “Maybe forty, I don’t know. What’s his age got to do with anything?”

  “He’s in love with you, that’s what.”

  Her jaw went slack. “You’re kidding.”

  “He’s slick, honey. Maybe you didn’t notice but when you’re blind you hear stuff in a person’s voice. And what I heard is that guy is hot for you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s married, Jay. He’s wearing a ring. Last I heard, he had a couple of kids.”

  “So? That didn’t stop him from falling all over himself trying to make points with you.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” She’d never expected that Jay would be jealous of any man. He was too macho, too confident of himself. Except, at the moment his lack of sight had undermined his usual buoyant self-confidence, she realized.

  Standing on tiptoe, she placed a kiss on his lips. “Even if Eric weren’t married, I’d never even notice him if you were within a thousand yards.”

  His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close. “Then trust me, blue eyes, I’m not going to be out of your sight anytime soon. Sure as hell not while Eric is anywhere on the continent.”

  Despite his foolish jealousy, Kim thrilled to Jay’s promise. It wasn’t necessarily realistic, not when he couldn’t see what she’d become since the earthquake. Even so, she cherished the sentiment. A woman needed to hear of a man’s devotion from time to time.

  “Could we go home, sweetheart, and take up where we left off last night?” he asked. “Before I turned into a grouch this morning.”

  “An excellent idea, Mr. Tolliver. One I was considering myself.”

  She leaned into him, accepting his deepening kiss, and suspected dinner would be a little late tonight.

  “IT SEEMS TO ME in strip poker you have all the advantages,” Kim complained, shivering. She was already down to her bra and panties. Only Cat, who had taken up temporary residence in her lap, was keeping her warm. The clothes she’d pulled on following a lazy afternoon of lovemaking were now neatly folded on the floor, the dirty dishes from the dinner she’d cooked scattered across the kitchen counter. So far Jay had only discarded his T-shirt, which left her with an enticing view of his well-muscled chest.

  A woman could easily get used to spending her days—and nights—like this, she thought with a pleasurable smile. They might not have much else in common, but they certainly were compatible in bed.

  Jay leaned back in the kitchen chair, holding his cards close to his chest. “What makes you say I’ve got an advantage?”

  “Well, first of all, you cheat.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Moi? Are you impugning my honor, madam?”

  “Every time you deal, you cop a feel of those cards with the raised numbers and suits so you know what I’ve got.”

  “A mere slip of the fingertips, I assure you. It’s beneath a man’s dignity to cop a feel—” He waggled his eyebrows. “Unless it’s a beautiful woman.”

  She swallowed another grin. “Then you make up the rules as we go along. Whoever heard of one-eyed Jacks and eights being wild, anyway?”

  “Dealer’s choice. An ancient card-playing custom.”

  “Yeah, but
when I get a one-eyed Jack, then you tell me deuces are wild.”

  “So I’m a little indecisive. A man has a right to be ambivalent when he’s trying to get a woman naked and back into bed with him.”

  “Again?” She laughed. “Don’t you ever wear out?”

  “Not where you’re concerned.”

  She was about to admit her stamina was doing just fine, too, when the phone rang.

  He answered, listened a moment, then passed the phone to her. “I think it’s your mom,” he said.

  Stunned, she took the phone. “Mother? How on earth did you find me here?”

  “It wasn’t easy, my dear, but I must say Council-woman Anderson was quite helpful. When you didn’t return the messages I left on your machine, I became concerned. Since Evie is such a good friend of Chief Gray—”

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t been home for a couple of days.”

  “I see.” Disapproval lowered Dr. DeMille-Lydell’s voice to an accusing tone much like that she’d use to announce to an entire class of graduate students that they had failed their final exams. “We had hoped you’d call after you saw the doctor in Santa Barbara.”

  Kim felt a stab of guilt. She should have called, or at least arranged for call-forwarding, but other more pressing matters had intervened. Namely, making love with Jay. “There wasn’t anything to report, Mother.” At least not on the medical front.

  “That’s regrettable. We had hoped…” She hesitated. “Nonetheless, I am surprised you have moved in with that…fireman.”

  “Firefighter. And he needs to have drops put in his eyes every few hours….” She glanced at the clock over the stove and realized that, distracted by the game of strip poker, she was late giving Jay his medicine. “It seemed more reasonable to stay here for a day or two rather that drive back and forth all the time.”

  “Yes, well, I’m sure you’ve thought it all through. I needn’t be the one to remind you that you have a spotless reputation in this community and some very high standards to maintain. Living with a man—”

  “I’m not living with him, Mother.” Not exactly. “And, no, you don’t have to remind me about my reputation.” Which, until very recently, would have been that of a beautiful professional woman who was far too busy for any kind of a relationship. Now, ironically, she was ugly with enough time on her hands to play strip poker with the sexiest man she’d ever known.

  “Mother, I’ve got to get back to—” She grinned as she thought about her state of undress. Better not to go into details.

  “Of course, dear. But do keep us informed of any changes.”

  After a promise to do just that, Kim managed to hang up. She turned to Jay. “It’s past time for your drops.”

  “Does your mother disapprove of all the men you see, or is it just me?”

  “Well, she was very fond of a neurosurgeon I was dating a year or two ago.”

  “Yeah, I bet.” He shoved back his chair, stood and paced to the refrigerator. Opening the door, he pulled out a bottle of beer.

  “Of course, she didn’t know Gregory was a closet gay or she might not have been quite so excited about the prospect of me marrying a doctor.”

  Jay whirled around. “My God, how did you find out?”

  “He told me. He’s a really nice guy and the perfect date. No groping under the table, no copping a feel,” she emphasized. “No awkward moments at the front door. I really enjoyed his company.”

  Twisting open the bottle of beer, he glowered at her. “Dare I ask what happened to this fantastically perfect relationship?”

  “He found someone special and they moved to San Francisco. I got a card from them at Christmas. They’re very happy together.”

  “And I’m happy for them.” Jay’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Anybody else in your checkered past I ought to know about?”

  “None that I can think of at the moment,” she said brightly. “No secret vampires or married men slipping out on their wives. Typically, my social life has ranked somewhere between boring and deadly dull.”

  He set his beer aside. “Why don’t I see if I can change that for you?”

  “Does this mean I’ve lost the game?”

  “Nope. It means we’re about to try out a new set of rules. You wanna be on top this time?”

  Anticipation rippled through her. She lowered Cat to the floor. “Actually, I’ve always wondered what it would be like showering with a man, and you’ve got quite a large—”

  Before she could finish her thought, Jay had pulled her to her feet, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her. “Consider it done, blue eyes. Last one into the tub has to scrub the other guy’s back.”

  JAY TOOK all the time he could loving Kim, holding himself back as long as possible, memorizing every sweet curve of her slender body, lingering over every taste. Savoring the moment as the water that pelted them chilled and they moved from the bathtub to his bed.

  Even as they exploded together in an earth-shattering climax, he was afraid this would be the last chance he’d have to hold her. He’d been acting the fool, sticking his head in the sand, ignoring reality.

  Hell, reality scared him to death. Blindness. Losing Kim.

  Knowing that she was too good for him.

  Finally, he lifted his weight away from her and rolled to the side, pulling her with him. Damn, she felt so good, so right in his arms. But it wasn’t gonna happen. Not with the prom queen and the guy from the wrong side of the tracks—blind or not.

  If nothing else, her mother’s phone call had made that abundantly clear.

  But he was damn well going to enjoy Kim as long as he could.

  ALEX WOODWARD, the president of KPRX-TV returned to town at the end of the week. Kim was his first appointment. Having watched Jay’s courage at the Braille Institute—however reluctant he’d been to face that his blindness might be permanent—she was determined to confront the man who had so thoughtlessly fired her without giving her an opportunity to appeal his decision. She at least deserved her day in court.

  Early that morning, she left Jay snoring in bed, dressed in her most professional outfit and drove into town. Following the earthquake, KPRX had moved their studios and offices to a new three-story building, one that lacked any particular personality but that apparently was sturdy. Antennas sprouted from the top of the structure like quills on a porcupine’s back.

  Uneasy about seeing her friends, Kim went directly upstairs rather than dropping by the studio. Harriet motioned for her to go right into Mr. Woodward’s office. Squaring her shoulders and holding her chin high, Kim stepped through the double doors.

  “Kimberly, so good to see you.” Standing, Woodward buttoned his pinstripe suit jacket and rounded his desk, extending his hand. “You’re looking wonderful.”

  She forced herself not to flinch under his all-too-careful scrutiny as she shook his hand. Although she’d arranged her hair in a soft fall over her left cheek, she knew her scars were still visible. But she refused to turn away.

  “Thank you, Alex, it’s good to see you, too.”

  He ushered her to a corner grouping of comfortable chairs that had a view out the window of Paseo del Real and the coastal mountains in the distance. A large man, he’d always dominated a room with both his size and his blustery personality. But now age spots were beginning to appear and the bags under his eyes were deep enough to pack for a weekend trip.

  “How have you been feeling?” he asked as he filled the chair opposite her with his bulk.

  “Quite well.” An active love life did seem to buoy her spirits. “In fact, I had planned to call you about coming back to work when I got your letter. Frankly, I was a little shocked you hadn’t had the decency to fire me in person.”

  A flush stole up his cheeks, deepening the fine web of veins that were already too apparent, a result of too many three-martini lunches.

  “You know how this business is. You’re up one day and then the next—” He shrugged. “Regrettable, but a necessary part of b
roadcasting. I’m sure you understand—”

  “No, Alex, I don’t. It was your building that collapsed on me. I would have thought—”

  “Actually, that’s not quite true. We were leasing the building and therefore our liability is limited. You might want to have your attorney talk to the building owner. I’d be happy to give you his name and address, although I understand he lacked adequate insurance and has already filed for bankruptcy.”

  Thus far she hadn’t considered suing anyone. Now it was too late. “What I want is a job.”

  He fumbled in his inside coat pocket and pulled out a cigar, which he rolled between his fingers like a man who had been told by his doctor not to succumb to temptation. “Have you seen Tiffany Lane, our new anchorwoman?”

  “A time or two.” Kim hadn’t been impressed. Tiffany seemed bright and shining but lacked substance.

  “Wonderful girl. Lovely, really. Did you know she has network experience?”

  “No, I wasn’t aware of that.” Unkindly, Kim suspected Tiffany must have been fired from the network or she wouldn’t be working at KPRX. Or perhaps, Kim realized with a start, Tiffany was the leverage to get a network’s attention in order to sell the station.

  “Yes, indeed. Extremely well respected in New York. Extremely. We’re lucky to have her in Paseo, truly fortunate.”

  Kim wasn’t all that sure the viewers were pleased, but she hadn’t been given a vote. “Alex, I’ll be honest with you. I understand my scars prevent me from ever doing on-camera work again. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do something for the station. This is my hometown, after all. I know the people, what they care about.”

  Stuffing the cigar back in his pocket, Alex stood and paced across the room to his desk. He wiped his palm over the top of his thinning gray hair, finally settling in his leather swivel chair.

  “I’m sorry, Kimberly. Really I am. But you may have heard we’re in negotiations with one of the networks. The details are all hush-hush so far, but it’s crucial our payroll is kept under control. You can understand that, can’t you?”

  Kim didn’t want to beg for a job. She’d never had to before, although landing an on-air position had never been easy. But she’d gotten no more than social calls back from her contacts across the country. Apparently ugly anchorwomen weren’t in high demand at the moment for any kind of television work.