She spent most of the next couple of hours chattering about life at the ranch—her parents and her brother’s family, the boys currently staying with them, the extended family members she thought Kyle might recall. Kyle didn’t contribute much to the conversation, but she could tell he was listening. She thought maybe he even seemed interested in what she had to say—or maybe she was simply looking for a reason to keep the mostly one-sided conversation going.
They stopped for a late lunch at a roadside chain restaurant in Central Tennessee. Molly noticed that Kyle walked very stiffly after several hours in the car. The long drive had to be uncomfortable for him, but he hadn’t complained—nor would he, she knew.
A large, tourist-oriented gift shop was attached to the restaurant. Molly insisted on going through it after they ate. Though it was difficult maneuvering through the narrow aisles with her crutches, and she had no real interest in the merchandise, she could tell that it made Kyle feel better to walk around a little. He grumbled about the unnecessary delay, but she saw him surreptitiously stretching his bad leg, flexing the knee.
She could almost see some of the tension drain from his facial muscles as the hearty meal and light exercise combined to ease the aftereffects of the morning’s long drive. Pleased with herself, she bought a black coffee mug with the state of Tennessee outlined on one side in gold—her excuse for visiting the shop—then handed the bag to Kyle to carry as they headed for the parking lot.
“It felt good to be out of the car for a little while, didn’t it?” she asked as she fastened herself in.
“It put us another half hour behind,” he retorted, starting the engine.
“That’s just more time for me to pelt you with questions,” she said cheerfully.
It pleased her inordinately when he chuckled—a sound that seemed to surprise him almost as much as it did her. He grew immediately somber again, but she treasured that slight laugh. A bit too much for comfort, actually, she realized, her own smile fading.
Just over eight hours after they’d left Gatlinburg- almost halfway through the trip home—Molly noticed that Kyle’s jaw was clenched and his face was pale. When he glanced her way, she saw that dusky shadows had formed beneath his eyes, making them look hollow, and that the long scar on his jaw stood out in contrast to his ashen skin.
This long car trip was too much for him, she thought guiltily. They had taken a couple of breaks, but he was still obviously uncomfortable. She really should have insisted that he allow one of her family members to come after her, rather than driving her himself. Yet he had been so adamant that it was his responsibility, and maybe she had allowed herself to be persuaded a bit too easily.
She was trying to think of a tactful way to suggest that he take a break for the evening when he said, “You’ve been suspiciously quiet for a long time. Is your leg hurting?”
The dull throb was still tolerable, but she seized quickly on the excuse. “It’s getting sort of cramped and sore. But I can keep going as long as you can,” she added bravely.
He frowned. “You don’t have to try and keep up with me. If you need to rest, you should have said something.”
She tried to look contrite.
“We’re coming up on Memphis. We’ll find a place to spend the night, then head out again early in the morning.”
It would be dark soon, so she felt fully justified in nodding and saying, “I am getting pretty tired. Maybe we should call it a day.”
Half an hour later, Kyle parked in front of a brightly lit chain motel. “I’ll go in and get us a couple of rooms. Keep the car doors locked until I get back. It’ll only take a couple of minutes.”
“At least put my room on my credit card.”
He didn’t even bother to reply. He just got out of the car and closed the door.
Shaking her head, she leaned back into her seat and watched him cross the driveway and enter the glass door into the motel office. He really did have a sexy way of moving, she thought with a wistful sigh. She noticed the limp, of course, but her attention tended to focus on the purposeful swing of his arms at his side, and the way his nice, tight…
With a groan, she made herself stop thinking along that particular line. She had never let herself think that way about any of her foster brothers—had never been tempted to do so, actually. They were her brothers for the short time they’d stayed with her. The one constant about them was that, eventually, they all moved on.
It was the one sure prediction she could make about Kyle—and one she would do well to keep in mind at all times with him.
As he had promised, he was back in a very short time. He handed her a key, then started the engine and drove to the back of the building, where he parked in front of a blue door marked 116.
“I’m in one-sixteen, you’re in one-seventeen,” he said, opening his door. “I’ll get the bags. You need help getting to your room?”
“No, I can make it.” She reached for her crutches, determined to prove that she didn’t need his assistance. If he could tough out this trip without complaining, then so could she.
“There’s no room service, but there are a couple of fast-food restaurants nearby,” he said as he dumped her bag in her room. “I’ll go get us something to eat and we can crash in front of our TVs until bedtime. Unless you want to go out?”
His expression told her he would escort her to every blues bar on Beale Street if she desired, but that he really, really hoped she was too tired to even consider leaving the motel room.
“I’m much too tired to go out again,” she said dutifully.
He didn’t exactly sag with relief, but she got the distinct impression he had to make an effort to prevent himself from doing so. “I’ll go get us some food, then. Any preferences?”
“Why don’t you stay here and order pizza? If we do that, you won’t have to go out again, either. And, besides,” she added quickly, before he felt the need to assure her he was perfectly capable of making a food run, “I like pizza.”