He wasn’t exaggerating much. He could see the goose bumps on her arms, and the tip of her nose was pinkened by the damp, chilly air.
She gave him a look that told him she didn’t like being given orders now anymore than she had when she was a spunky kid. “I’m fine.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Maybe she felt as though she had made her point. Molly was only a few steps behind him when he walked into the kitchen. Kyle set the teakettle on a burner and pulled two mugs out of a cabinet. “I don’t drink caffeine, but I have several blends of herbal tea,” he said, waving a hand toward the assortment of boxes arranged for easy access. “Pick what you like.”
He tossed an orange spice tea bag into a mug for himself, then stood aside so Molly could make her own selection. She debated for what he considered to be an absurdly long time over the six selections available to her before finally choosing cinnamon apple. By that time, the kettle was whistling.
Kyle carried his steaming mug into the living room, leaving Molly to follow if she wanted. She did—and her next comment indicated she had been watching him more closely than he liked.
“What happened to you, Kyle? How were you injured?”
“A close encounter with a bomb in the Middle East,” he answered shortly. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“How long has it been?”
“Eight months.” And three weeks, and four days. And counting.
“I’m sorry,” she offered quietly.
He shrugged with practiced nonchalance. “Don’t be. I was luckier than the three guys who wer
e with me and didn’t make it back.”
It had taken him a while to come to that conclusion, and there were still days when he wondered if his friends had been the lucky ones. He had learned very soon after the attack to hide those feelings, which always drew far too much attention from the military shrinks.
“Is that why you don’t want to come to the party? Because you were hurt?”
“No.”
She seemed completely undaunted by his curt tone.
“Because if you’re worried that anyone there will think less of you or pity you or anything like that, that would just be silly.”
Kyle set his mug down with a thump and glowered at his uninvited guest. “Either you like living dangerously, or you’re totally oblivious when it comes to taking hints.”
Molly sighed and spread her free hand, cradling her tea mug in the other. “It’s the latter, I’m afraid. Shane always says it takes a two-by-four upside the head for me to recognize a hint. He jokes, of course, but he’s not exaggerating by much.”
“Then let me put it in short, simple words you’ll be sure to understand—I don’t want to talk about this.”
Molly blinked at him for a moment, then absolutely floored him by smiling broadly. “You sounded just like Daddy when he’s in one of his grumpy moods. Maybe he rubbed off on you more than you realize.”
Kyle was rendered almost speechless by that artless observation. Grown men had been known to pale when he had spoken to them the way he’d just snarled at Molly. And she just grinned and compared him to her daddy?
He wondered grimly how much longer it would be before the rain stopped and he could send her safely on her way.
The visit with Kyle was not going as well as Molly had hoped. She supposed she had been rather arrogant in thinking she could charm him into changing his mind about attending her party. She had thought a little friendly reminiscing, accompanied by a couple of soulful looks and maybe a few winsome smiles would accomplish exactly what she wanted.
That sort of thing always worked for Shane, she thought with a slight pout.
Amazingly enough, she didn’t think even Shane could get through to Kyle at this point. It was a shame, too. Molly suspected that Kyle was a lonely, unhappy man who was just too stubborn to admit he needed anyone else.
She glanced at her watch. It was just before 6:00 p.m. and still raining heavily. Deepening shadows blurred the corners of the room now as dark gray clouds obscured the skies outside. Kyle reached out to turn on a lamp on a table between the two recliners. “Are you hungry?”
She was, actually. She had stopped for a light lunch and a stretch break at just before noon, and she hadn’t had anything since. “I’m a little hungry.”
He put his hands on the arms of his chair and pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll see what I’ve got.”