“Brody, this is Lou. We just took a swim. We were about to…”
“I can see what you were about to do, John. There’s no need to explain. You’re a chip off the old block.” Brody punched John softly in the arm with a knowing smile.
John had the decency to flush before turning to Lou. “Lou, this is my cousin, Brody.”
Lou extended her hand to shake his. “Nice to meet you, Brody.”
He grasped her hand firmly, allowing his gaze to roam freely up and down her body. He wasn’t completely sure if it was because he wanted to unnerve her, or because he enjoyed the view. He was taken aback by the spark of sensation he got when her dark eyes finally met his, yet he forced himself to hold firmly to her hand. He raised one brow at her and she tore her gaze from his.
Lou disentangled her hand from his with a gentle twist, pointing toward the house. “You guys go ahead. I’ll meet you both back at the house. Do you mind?” Lou asked.
“If you asked my mother,” he drawled with a slight southern accent. “She would tell you that I never did mind very well.”
Broden James Wester, III was home.
Chapter Two
Brody clapped John on the back as they walked side-by-side to the big house. “Your girlfriend is something.”
“Who? Lou? Oh, no, it’s not like that, Brody.” John stammered, shaking his head. “She’s just—”
John’s thought was cut off mid-sentence when an excited squeal arose from the porch. “As I live and breathe! It’s Brody!” Sadie shrieked as a huge grin erupted on her face.
Brody dropped his bags and rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Sadie’s waist to lift her ample body from the ground and spin her slowly. “Well, aren’t you the prettiest thing I’ve seen in years, Sadie?” He placed her on her feet. “And light as a feather, too,” he said, unable to keep her excitement from flooding him as well. He placed a kiss on her weathered cheek.
“Oh, you, stop. I ain’t no such thing.” She reached up to tousle his sandy hair. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes, boy?”
“Sadie, I left the boy back on the farm twelve years ago.”
“I can see that, Brody.” She stepped back to look appraisingly at him. It was like he’d never left. Like he hadn’t been gone for twelve years.
“What’s all the racket out there on the porch? You would think you had seen a snake,” Jeb said as he walked outside. His eyes lit up as he saw Brody, and he extended his hand. Brody bypassed the outstretched hand and embraced him.
“Your mama is going to be so happy to see you, boy,” the man said low against Brody’s ear.
“Where is she, Jeb?”
“She’s in her room. You can run right along and go see her. She needs you right now,” Sadie said with a gentle push toward the door.
****
Lou circled the house and went in through the front door, in hopes of avoiding Mrs. Wester’s son, particularly in her wet and bedraggled state. She cringed at the knowledge that that man had seen her in her wet underwear. Even now, her wet hair clung to her face and her clothes stuck to her body. She went up the stairs to her room and stripped down to nothing. She turned on the shower and stepped beneath the spray. A few moments of solitude to redirect her thoughts were all she needed. She appraised herself in the mirror, and then walked from her room and down the grand staircase toward the kitchen. She walked by Mrs. Wester’s room and stopped to listen at the sound of a male voice chuckling. She paused in the doorway and quickly stepped back, hoping no one would see her.
Mrs. Wester still sat in the chaise lounge, her book laid delicately on the arm of the chair. Brody sat at her feet, leaning toward his mother. His sandy-colored hair hung lightly over his forehead. Mrs. Wester raised her weakened hand to brush the lock of hair to the side. He grabbed her hand in his and lowered it to her lap but did not release it. His steely eyes were full of worry, his brow knit with concern. His six foot two inch frame dwarfed Mrs. Wester’s smaller one.
Lou stood in the doorway for a moment longer and then coughed gently to announce her presence. Two sets of eyes met hers as she walked into the room. Mrs. Wester’s were welcoming; her son’s were not.
“Are you ready for bed, Mrs. Wester?” Lou had taken it upon herself to be sure Mrs. Wester was clean and placed in bed before she went to bed at night.
“I can take my mother to bed, thank you,” Brody said, his jaw tight.
“Why don’t you do it together?” Mrs. Wester asked, as she patted his hand gently.
Lou filled a basin of water in the bathroom sink and carried it to the chaise lounge where mother and son sat. She wet a cloth with a small amount of soapy water and passed it to Mrs. Wester. She had quickly learned Mrs. Wester valued her independence and wanted to take care of her own needs as much as she could. Mrs. Wester washed her own face, neck, and hands. She passed the cloth to Brody and he handed her a clean cloth to dry her face. He took the basin from Lou and went to pour it in the sink as Lou chose a nightgown from the wardrobe. Brody turned his back as she helped Mrs. Wester to disrobe and don the nightclothes.
“Ready to move to the bed?” Lou asked gently. Mrs. Wester was often so tired after washing her face that she needed help to get to the bed. Lou placed one arm beneath her legs to swing them gently to the floor. At that moment, Brody placed a hand on Lou’s shoulder and moved her out of the way. He put an arm beneath his mother’s shoulders and one beneath her knees, and gently lifted her from the chair.
Lou moved ahead of him to turn down the bed. He laid his mother gently between the sheets and Lou arranged the covers around her. She fluffed the pillows and made sure the matriarch was comfortable. She then took Mrs. Wester’s hand in her own and bent to kiss her on the cheek. “Good night, Mrs. Wester.”