Indomitable Spirit (4 page)

“You’re going to kill yourself.”

“Not on purpose,” he argued as he walked back down the hall toward the kitchen. “Where’s Jacob?”

His mother only closed her eyes and he listened. He could hear the sound of the soccer ball against the wall in the basement.

“He’s fuming?”

“He had a hard day at school again. He’s just being constructive and using his anger to kick the ball around.”

“How long before I have to fix that window again?”

She smiled. “If it helps, your father could come and put a board over it.”

“I could do that too, Mom. Dad needs to keep relaxed.”

He continued to the kitchen and she was right behind him. “You know he met a man at the rec center the other day. A Korean man.”

That made John’s spine straighten. “Really?”

“Yes. Something Kym…” she hummed as she tried to think of the name. “Anyway, his granddaughter owns the karate school. But he said he taught him some relaxation techniques and your father’s been doing them. I think it’s really helped his mood. You know he’s been so cranky since his heart attack.”

Yeah, he’d noticed.

John walked to the refrigerator and took out two frozen pizzas. His mother shook her head.

“Really? That’s your dinner?”

“Mom, give it a rest.” He tore open the packages. “Thanks for keeping an eye on the kids.”

“It’s what I can do to help.”

“Well it means a lot.” He pushed the buttons on the oven. “I didn’t think it was going to keep being hard.”

His mother rested her hand on his shoulder. “Until they are all raised it won’t be easier honey. You have a lot to deal with.”

“Great.”

She sighed as she walked toward the back door and pulled her coat off the hook. “She wouldn’t have left you on purpose.”

John clenched his jaw.

“I’ll be back in the morning.” She kissed her fingers and blew the kiss toward him as she opened the back door and headed out to her truck.

John rested his hands on the counter and lowered his head. No, she never would have left him—ever.

Abigail would have had dinner on the table, the house spotless, and Jacob would have been doing something—anything else other than kicking a ball into the walls. John would have come home and seen his wife rocking their baby, not his mother had that last pregnancy not gone so wrong.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin. She’d wanted three kids—he’d wanted four. Why couldn’t they have known that the fourth would have cost her her life? Why didn’t someone catch it earlier? Why had he pushed for it?

John fisted his hands and that was when he remembered the raw skin under the bandage.

He looked at his hand and the bandage—the bandage Kym had put there.

As quickly as he could he pulled the gauze from his skin. Kym. He was tired of thinking about Kym. She’d been the first woman since Abigail to make his blood warm and his pulse quicken. He’d walked with his head down for two years, but the day he’d run into her cart he’d looked up and there were those green eyes.

He threw the gauze into the trash. Why now? Why her? He didn’t have time to think about women. He had four kids to tame and a business to run.

Just then Abby and Mason ran through the room and Cody began to cry from the play pen in the living room. There would be a day it would be all over and he was afraid he was going to miss it. But right now he was just too tired and all he wanted was a moment not to think about where the money for the new furnace they were going to need was going to come from. He didn’t want to think about what third grade mess Jacob was in. And he certainly didn’t want to think of Kym O’Bryne.

The noise in the basement had stopped and when John looked up at the back stair case there was Jacob.

“Hey, kid.”

“Hey.”

“How was school?” he asked, but he knew it was the wrong question to ask.

“Sucked. Carson is home schooled.”

“Yeah, but his mom is home too.”

He only nodded his head. “I know.”

It was the sad face of his son that broke his heart the most.

“Heard you kicking the soccer ball around.”

“Yeah. I’m bored. Carson has an Xbox too.”

“There is always one friend that has more stuff, huh?”

Jacob nodded. “Can I go after school tomorrow and kick around the ball with him?”

“You need to get Abby home.”

“She could come with.”

That was quite a generous offer, he thought. “You’d take your sister?”

“Why not?”

That made John wonder what the ulterior motive was. But he didn’t see any harm in it. He was always driving around town, he’d see them. The school and the fields were just across from the hardware store. Well, hell, he thought—the whole town was across from the hardware store.

“You’ll keep an eye on her?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll be home by four?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll let grandma know.”

Jacob gave him the slightest hint of a smile.

When the oven reached temperature, John pulled down the door and slid the pizzas onto the rack.

“Will you get your brother out of the play pen? I have to wash those other two monsters up and by then we can eat.”

“Sure.”

As Jacob passed by, John ran his hand over the top of his head. “Thanks, bud.”

But Jacob said nothing. John knew he was tired of having any responsibility around the house and he wished he didn’t have to ask, but that wasn’t how it was at the Larson house. Four kids—one man. Life hadn’t played fair and they were all paying the price.

***

Kym had bought half a dozen muffins at Malory’s and a mint mocha coffee. As she looked around the bakery she saw that not much had been done on the renovation in the past two days.

“He’ll be in later,” Malory said with a grin curling up the corner of her mouth.

“Oh, Mr. Larson?” Kym asked as if she didn’t know she’d been caught looking for him. “Your customers will have a reprieve from his cursing.”

Malory chuckled. “His bark is much worse than his bite.”

That’s what had kept Kym up all of the night and had her mind elsewhere yesterday as well.

“I’m sure he’s nice when you get to know him.”

Malory nodded. “He’s got it tough right now.”

Before Kym could continue her investigation into the mysterious John Larson, the door to the bakery opened and a tall, handsome man with long dark hair walked in. The smile on Malory’s face widened.

The man walked up to the counter, rested his elbow down and his chin in his palm. “Hey, Wil, someone knocked you up.”

She laughed. “Yeah, only trouble walks in this town.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“So what do you want?” She’d inched in over the counter as much as her swollen belly would allow.

“I want you to close shop and let me show you what a real man is like.”

She laughed easily and rested her hand on his cheek. “Damn, I thought I could forget all about you Christopher Douglas.”

“Nah, I’m unforgettable.”

Malory kissed him softly on the lips and then he turned his head and looked at Kym, who had been caught up in the banter between them.

“Ah,” he said standing up straight. “I didn’t notice you already had company.”

Malory laughed again. “This is Kym O’Bryne. She owns the karate school.”

“Oh, yeah.” He held his hand out to her. “I’m the one who knocked up Wil.”

Malory snorted. “That would be my husband.”

Kym shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She looked him over. “Christopher Douglas. Hockey?”

“You know hockey?”

She nodded. “I have two older brothers.” Kym could feel the heat from the cup she clenched in her hand. “I should go. I have lesson plans to finalize and classes starting at three. Thanks for the coffee.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Malory gave her a wave.

“It was nice to meet you,” she walked past Christopher who hurried to open the door for her.

“Likewise.”

Kym walked out of the warm bakery and out to her car. When she looked back toward the building she could see Christopher walk behind the counter and lay his hands on Malory’s stomach. He bent down and kissed the lump beneath her apron and lingered there as if he were talking to the baby. An ache moved through Kym’s body. She’d never been in one place long enough in her life to find a man she could settle into such comfort with. What a wonderful thing it must be, to be loved like that.

She set her cup of coffee on the top of her car and pulled open the door. She set her bag of muffins on the passenger seat, retrieved the cup of coffee, and climbed in.

It took a moment for the heater to whirr up warm air, but when it did she backed out of the parking lot and headed toward the karate school.

She could hear the kids playing on the playground at the elementary school. It didn’t matter what kind of mood she was in, children’s laughter always made her feel better.

She figured that was why she enjoyed teaching. Though her teaching was strict, after class there was plenty of time for laughter and hugs.

Kym passed by the hardware store and caught a glimpse of John walking back into the building. Suddenly her heart rate kicked up. Why did he do that to her? He’d been nothing but crude when he was around her. She’d rather drop him to the ground in one fell swoop than to try to have a nice conversation with the man. But still, there was something about him which had kept her up for the past two nights.

She was just lonely, she decided. Malory was good for conversation, but besides her John was the only other person in Aspen Creek she had spent more than ten minutes with.

Seriously, she needed to get out and make more friends.

Maybe she’d start with Kelley Larson. That seemed reasonable enough.

She’d stop in there tomorrow. Surely she needed a key cut or some of those 3M hooks to hang up something at the school. No matter what, there would always be a reason to stop in at the hardware store. But she would absolutely make sure John wasn’t there.

Chapter Four

Kym had exactly four students in her class at three o’clock. Their ages ranged from twelve down to six. It was hard to teach kids that varied in physical ability. But this was a white belt class and that meant everyone was at the beginning of their journey. The goal would be to have this small group of people eventually be her black belt class—she needed a black belt class.

They were learning basic moves. Front punch. Front punch. Turn and repeat. The twelve year old boy was doing it right and giving each punch his all. His six year old brother on the other hand seemed preoccupied with something outside.

Kym walked over to him and stood, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Mr. Pine, is there something better outside?”

The boy’s eyes widened and his spine straightened. “No, ma’am.”

“When we are in class we focus on our form, yes ma’am?” she added to force him to respond correctly.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She gave him a curt nod and moved to the next student to help them. But it was then she noticed what had caught the attention of the six-year-old Pine boy. There was another set of eyes peering through the back door watching them.

“Now let’s work on our back fist,” she instructed as she backed off the floor and moved toward the door.

She quickly opened the door as two children began to run.

“Stop right there.” Her tone was stern, but she hadn’t raised the volume.

Both stopped and turned around. The older boy tucked the younger girl behind him.

“Are you here to take class?” Kym asked, again sternly.

“No. Just watching.” The boy’s voice shook as he spoke.

“Just watching? You don’t get good at something by just watching.”

The boy’s eyes had grown wide and the girl peeked around him.

“What are your names?”

The children exchanged glances. “I’m Jacob. This is my sister Abby.”

“And where are your parents?”

They exchanged looks again. “My dad is working. He said we could hang around after school.”

This was where the town needed her.
Hang around.
That was what caused most problems in society, or at least that’s how she saw it.

Kym crossed her arms over her chest. “My class is very small today. We could certainly use another young man and lady to join us.”

Jacob shook his head. “We can’t afford classes.”

Kym gave him a nod. “Have you ever dumped a trash can or swept a floor?”

Jacob laughed and then straightened again and nodded. “Of course.”

“Of course what?”

“Yeah, I’ve done that.”

“The correct way to answer that is yes, ma’am.”

The kids exchanged looks again and both answered at the same time, “Yes, ma’am.”

She wanted to smile, but this was not the time or place. These kids needed her. They needed discipline.

“Come in. Take your shoes off and I will teach you how to bow onto the floor. We are working on basic moves today.”

Both of them nodded and followed Kym into the school.

Within forty-five minutes she had seen a great change in the kids she’d pulled into the school. They followed along and answered commands correctly. This was what she was wanting for the community. A chance to make a difference.

When class was over and the other four students bowed off the floor, Kym walked over to Jacob and Abby.

“Did you enjoy the class?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they both answered.

“Wonderful. Now, Jacob, the broom is in the corner by the bathroom. I’ll need you to sweep up the mats. Abby, do you think you can handle the small trash cans in the bathroom and by the front door? They need to be dumped into the big can at the back door.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

This time Kym smiled. “Okay. Get to it and then you may go.”

Both of the kids nodded and ran to do their jobs, bowing off the floor as the other students had done.

Kym walked to the counter at the front of the school and dug through the bin of belts she kept underneath. When she found two white belts that would fit the new students she set them on the counter.