Worth Fighting For

He didn’t see a ring on her hand. But that didn’t mean much. Kelly had taken off her wedding band while he’d been in the Middle East.

The water and antibacterial soap stung, but her ministrations were gentle, thorough. Professional. Yet his thoughts weren’t those of a patient. Or a neighbor.

“Are you married?” he asked, unable to quell the curiosity.

Her movements slowed, but quickly resumed without her looking up. “No, I’m not.”

Divorced then, since she had a kid.

“Mommy,” Emily said from the doorway. “Can I get Brett a Popsicle?”

“You can’t reach the freezer door. And he might not want one,” the mother said.

“I can push a chair to the fridge. Then I can reach it.” The little girl offered him a bright-eyed grin. “Do you want a Popsicle? That’s what my mommy gives me after I get my owie bandaged.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m afraid a Popsicle will ruin my appetite for dinner.” Brett wasn’t used to kids, but he figured her mother would appreciate his thoughtfulness.

“What are you having for dinner?” Emily asked.

“I’m going to drive through one of those burger joints.” Whoops. Driving wasn’t an option until he got his Harley fixed. He chuckled, then added, “I guess I’ll have to walk, though.”

“Want to have dinner with us?” Emily asked. “We’re having spusghetti.”

Actually, he liked Italian food and wondered if Caitlin was a good cook. Probably. She seemed to have domestic stuff down pat. “Thanks for asking, Emily. But I’ll probably just rustle up something to eat from the pantry.”

At least, he hoped so. He’d come in late last night, and Greg hadn’t left him much to choose from by way of food in the fridge. And with his bike out of commission for a while…

“What does rustle up mean?” Emily asked.

“It means find something.”

“Greg never buys food, ’cept for Fred. That’s why he goes to Burger Bob’s all the time…’cept when he eats with us.” The little girl offered him a sweet, expectant smile. “Spusghetti is better than those crunchy little brown fishies that Fred eats. I know, ’cause I tasted one once, and it was yucky.”

Caitlin looked up from her work on his hand. “I still feel the accident was my fault, Brett. Please join us for dinner. It’s the least I can do.”

He ought to turn tail and run, get the heck out of Dodge. But for some reason, sharing spusghetti with his pretty neighbor and her little girl sounded kind of appealing.

“Are you sure it’s no trouble?” he asked the mother.

“I’m sure. But Emily will probably expect you to play cards or a board game with her. That’s the usual after-dinner routine when Greg comes over to eat.”

“It’s hard to believe a gruff guy like Greg plays kid games.” Brett shook his head and grinned. His buddy stood about six-two and weighed more than two hundred pounds. And he was about as tough a man as the Navy had to offer.

Caitlin chuckled. “He plays a killer game of Candyland and Go Fish.”

Greg? That mountain of a man who smoked cigars and could cuss a blue streak?

“Amazing.” Brett realized he had something on his buddy now.

“Okay,” Caitlin said. “Sit on the commode so I can look at your knee.”

He wondered if she’d ask him to remove his pants. A part of him—that rebellious side he’d allowed to run amok during his youth—hoped she would.

“Do you mind if I cut your jeans?” she asked.

Score one for the lady. “Nah. Go ahead. They’re going in the trash anyway.”

She pulled scissors from the first-aid kit, then knelt at his feet and began to snip at the denim fabric. Her hair had white-gold highlights that probably lit up on a sunny day or in the candlelight.

He could imagine her walking hand in hand with a guy in the summer sun, sitting across a linen-draped table at a high-class restaurant.

What he couldn’t imagine was her not having a man in her life.

What was the deal with her and Greg? Were they friends? Lovers?

And what about Emily’s father? Where was he? And why had he let a woman like Caitlin slip away?

Brett wasn’t sure why he was so curious about the men in her life. It’s not as though he wanted a shot at dating her himself. He made it a point to steer clear of women with kids.

But for now, he couldn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t join them for spusghetti and a game of Go Fish.

It beat the heck out of munching on dried cat food in front of the TV.

Chapter Two

Brett stood before the woven, heart-shaped welcome mat on his pretty neighbor’s front porch and glanced at his watch—five-fifty. Ten minutes early.

He paused before knocking.

What had he been thinking when he’d agreed to dinner? Should he try and figure out a way to back out graciously?

Unlike his buddy Greg, Brett wasn’t into cats, board games or neighborly get-togethers.

And Caitlin was just the kind of woman he steered clear of—a homemaker, like Kelly had been. And probably just as set in her ways and disagreeable. But to make matters worse, Caitlin also had a kid—and an ex-husband, no doubt.

It was just the kind of broken household Brett didn’t want to be a part of.

His stomach rumbled, urging him to put aside his reservations for the sake of hunger. He should have walked ten or twelve blocks to the twenty-four-hour convenience store on Vine, but he’d spent the better part of the afternoon on the telephone looking for a certified Harley repair shop.

He’d found one in Bayside, and the owner had come out to look over the battered bike about twenty minutes ago.

The estimate was astronomical, but not a surprise. Six months ago, Brett had paid over twenty grand for the new Softail. Then he’d put a fortune into the high-priced accessories he’d added, not to mention the custom paint job. So he had no other choice but to let the mechanic from Hog Specialists haul it back to the repair and body shop.

And since Greg had loaned his pickup to his brother, Brett was left without wheels until the bike was fixed. Damn. He wasn’t about to spend his leave on foot, so he’d have to rent a car, which he’d probably do tomorrow. But for now, he was temporarily stranded.

So why should he back out and tell Caitlin he wasn’t hungry when he was actually starving?

Just as he lifted his good hand to rap at the door, a movement near the window caused him to glance to the right, where Emily peered through the white slatted shutters.