"Hansen, Maxine Joy - The Letter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hansen Maxine Joy)

"Is that a fact. And I bet old Sam thought I could help you with some insurance. Well, I sure can." Dick Hazlett was in his element now. His deep baritone voice altered ever so slightly, and he shifted gears in preparation to take off into his time trusted, well tested, successful patter.
Colt just as easily fielded the play. "I'm sure you can. As soon as we settle in I just might look over my insurance needs," he agreed, "but actually I was calling you about a different matter."
"A different matter?" Dick Hazlett's words held a note of incredulity, as if there could be no other matter of major importance to discuss.
"The funny thing is, as I told Sam, I came across a letter addressed to a James Hazlett, and I wanted to return it. I called Sam because. . .well, since I found it in the house, I thought he could help me."
"You found it in the house?"
"In a kitchen drawer." Colt glossed over, wondering if Sam and Dick might compare notes at a later date. "You know how things can get stuck in drawers - just a fluke."
Dick sucked in a small breath and Colt got the feeling he didn't know how things could just get stuck in drawers by a fluke. He and the lovely Irene probably had everything in perfect order, catalogued, not a paper clip out of place.
"Well, what kind of letter is it? Does it look like an important document?"
Colt rolled his eyes, trying to figure out how to proceed. He absolutely couldn't see telling this man the contents of the letter or about Kathryn and the mission she had taken on.
"You know I can't tell. I certainly didn't want to open anything private. I'm sure you understand. I mean, hell, I figured it could be something important like, well... like a missing insurance policy or something." Colt had his attention now.
"Well, you definitely don't want to lose something as important as that," Dick agreed. "Whatever you have, it is addressed to my father. But dad hasn't lived in that house for close to two years, and we were pretty thorough in packing up the old place. I can't imagine how we left something in a drawer. I know all of dad's important papers are in order. It couldn't be a policy or anything like that. I handle all of those and everything is accounted for. Hell," he laughed, "it's probably just an old bill or something taken care of a long time ago. You go on and pitch the thing. I'm sure that's fine." Dick concluded.
Colt had been in this position many times when he was up to bat. Two outs, three balls, two strikes, with the game on the line and on his shoulders. The important thing was to keep focused, keep cool and calm, and just watch that ball for all it was worth and give it your best shot.
"Yeah, you're probably right, I'll just tear it up. Too bad though, I would have enjoyed meeting your dad and giving him something that maybe was important and he'd misplaced." Colt lowered his voice just enough to give Dick Hazlett the impression he was going to confide something. "You know, between you and me, some of these old retired guys get a kick out of meeting a professional sports figure, even an ex- player. Brings them back to the good old days, puffs them out a bit. You know. I used to like doing that stuff back in California. Ah, well. Hey, maybe I can send you and your dad an autographed photo." Colt could feel the wheels turning on the other end of the line.
"You know, that's not such a bad idea."
"A photo, sure. . ."
"No, no. To tell you the truth, dad's been a little down since he moved. More than a little actually. You know he was a damn good doctor in his day. Damn good." There was pride in Dick's voice and that pleased Colt.
"My mother passed away about four years ago, dad retired and he was alone in that empty house all day. I didn't think it was good for him. Finally, my wife and I talked him into moving to one of those new retirement communities. Very nice place up in Dunedin. He'd have his own privacy, but he wouldn't have to make his own meals, worry about the upkeep of the place, and if he needed anything someone would be there to take care of him. Plus he'd have company. People his own age. With similar interests. Anyway, I'm sure it's just the change. Dad was always very independent, very busy. But you get older and, hey, you should start to take it easy, you know."
Colt wasn't sure he totally agreed, but he didn't want to get into a debate.
"Listen, maybe you don't have a bad idea. I could give you the address to the place, give him a call and tell him to expect you. You bring the letter, tell him you found it, and maybe visit with him a few minutes. Yeah, it just might be the thing. You can tell him what you told me, that you thought the letter might be important. . .something like that so he doesn't get suspicious. He's sharp."
"Great idea, Dick. Ah, can I call you Dick?"
"Absolutely."
The two men talked a little longer. Colt got the address of the retirement "village" as it was called, went over the logistics of the visit as to how and when it would be arranged, and gratefully accepted Dick's offer to send him an insurance brochure and info packet.
Colt hung up the receiver, gave a loud war whoop, and slapped his knee. He had hit a home run! Barely two minutes later he was ringing Kathryn Cartwright's hotel room. He could picture her smile clearer than ever as he told her the news, and it made him feel like he'd just won the World Series! ["#TOC"]
Chapter Three
Kathryn ran a large toothed comb through her errant curls and smiled in pleasure at the effect. In fact, she'd been smiling almost non-stop since Colt Riverton had called her with his good news. She smoothed the cool fabric of her light pink cotton pants and adjusted the matching sleeveless top. Small pearl buttons gleamed translucent white against the crisp material and Kathryn knew she looked her best. A quick glance at her watch told her that Colt would be arriving in a few minutes to pick her up. A betraying tremor of excitement shot through her body at the thought, and she sat down on the edge of the bed momentarily closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
Colt Riverton. He brought something to her life that she hadn't felt since she was a teenager, and then had only experienced without the true depth and breadth of feeling she instinctively knew was possible. It was a feeling that, throughout the ensuing years, she had slowly become certain she was incapable of. It wasn't that she didn't believe in it - for others. But somehow that heightened sense of awareness, the frisson of excitement, depth of passion, and the sheer joy at the mere thought of a certain someone, all these were qualities she felt were simply not hers to experience. It wasn't that she didn't feel attraction. She certainly wasn't cold nor, as the old term went, frigid. Indeed she was warm and loving. She had loved Charley and they had shared a very close relationship. Their love had been warm and steady and, even in the aftermath of breaking up, a deep and lasting bond remained between them. But she never really remembered her toes curling, her body quivering at just a brush of fingers as they had with Colt Riverton, a perfect stranger.
His presence had affected her so much that yesterday she had excused herself at the first moment possible after eliciting his promise of help. She had driven back to her hotel with the letter and a jumble of emotions tagging along. Certain it was the heady sense of romantic adventure getting to her, coupled with jet lag and the crazy change of her plans in the last seventy-two hours, she was determined to relax and wait for Colt's call unruffled. To a certain extent her plan worked. A quiet lunch in the hotel dining room and a lazy afternoon at the pool eased her tensions somewhat at least until the phone rang. Colt called twice; once with the wonderful news and a few hours later to confirm their arrangements. After that it took a frivolous cable movie and a light dinner in her room coupled with a hot shower before bed and a warm cup of chamomile tea to unwind again. At least these things helped to provide a good night's sleep and she awoke refreshed.
Now her nerves were bubbling to the surface again. She turned her attention to Colt's phone calls. She had never doubted for a moment, even with such a relatively brief first meeting, that Colt would make every effort to assist her and would get back to her as soon as possible. She recognized him as that kind of man and, without examining why too closely, it pleased her tremendously. She trusted him and she knew she was right.
As if on cue, a firm knock sounded at the door of her room. Kathryn took another deep breath, rose from the bed, smoothed an already smoothed bedspread, and went to answer the summons. She reached for the doorknob instinctively asking "Who is it?" at the same time. She knew who it was.
"It's Colt." he confirmed and she turned the handle to let him in.
Her eyes a little too glittery, hoping her smile would hide her slight trembling, she motioned for him to join her in the room.
"I'm used to checking first in LA" she told him.
"Hey, I understand, I'm glad you did. I taught my daughter to do the same thing, no matter where she is."
He was dressed in light blue jeans, a cool, short sleeved white jersey top, and white tennis shoes. Kathryn caught herself staring at him and turned away quickly hoping he didn't notice the heightened color on her cheeks.
"I'm sure you want to get going, so let me just get my purse."
"No rush, we have plenty of time." Colt remarked as his eyes leisurely took their fill of her beautiful body and the generous fall of curls caressing her neck and upper back. Colt had to remind himself that his priority was being a father right now. Maybe later down the line, after the wounds had healed for both he and his daughter, maybe then he could accept someone new into his life. But the timing simply wasn't right now. He and Pam had been divorced barely a year and he was just embarking on a new life with Jesse. No, the timing was definitely not right. Kathryn turned around, her purse in hand, and he caught himself thinking that she looked like a princess with her lovely face and the soft shoulder length waves framing her features. Like something out of the books he used to read to Jesse before she began to remind him she was slightly more mature than a child. He grinned at that last thought.
Kathryn received the full force of that grin and felt the heat rising in her face once again. Their eyes locked for a moment until they both looked away.
"Well, I'm all set." she offered.
Kathryn followed Colt out of the room and double-checked the door out of habit even though she knew it was locked. In thoughtful silence they traveled down the corridor and waited a moment for the elevator that would take them to the hotel lobby.
"Where's your daughter?" Kathryn asked him.
"She made friends with a couple of kids next door. Twins actually. A boy and a girl. Jason and Holly Malone. Mrs. Malone was taking them to the beach and invited Jesse along. She'll be in good hands." He trusted Karen Malone and knew Jesse would be fine, but like any parent he wanted to reassure himself.
"She's a beautiful young girl."
"She's terrific. The best thing that ever happened to me!" Colt beamed. "One of the reasons I'm glad we moved during the summer months is because it gives her a chance to get acquainted with her new home and the neighborhood, and make some new friends before school. I knew there were other children in the area, but I didn't know that Jason and Holly lived next door. They're one year older than Jesse is, but that's nothing. They're right on the same wavelength if you know what I mean."
"I do." Kathryn said.
The elevator sailed them down swiftly to the spacious, tropical, and tastefully decorated reception area of the hotel. Colt held the front door open for her and she tasted the salty, sultry morning air. It was going to be a hot day and she was glad she had thought enough about the trip, amidst everything else, to bring an ample supply of cool summer clothing, suitable for the high temperatures and humid weather of Florida. Of course, with Colt's help she had been quick to realize her goal. Her mission would be over in a matter of hours and she could head home with a clear conscience and plenty of time left of her vacation to continue her redecorating project. Somehow the thought didn't excite her and the prospect of having no good reason to stay on dampened her enthusiasm somewhat. It just felt wrong, but she refused to question it. Colt led her over to a red Cherokee parked in the hotel's guest lot.
"You don't mind if we take my car do you?" he asked.
"Not at all."
He ushered her inside the spacious front seat, closed the passenger door, and in one fluid motion, surprising for someone with such a large body, settled into the driver's side. At the command of his hand, the key slid into the lock and the powerful motor purred to life like a tiger waking up from a cat nap, now ready to unleash the energy of its lithe body.
"It's about a fifteen minute drive to our destination, so buckle up and enjoy the scenery." Colt had already explained the gist of his original conversation with Dick Hazlett when he first phoned Kathryn to tell her the good news. During Colt's initial discussion with the man, Dick said anytime during the morning or afternoon would work. His father wasn't inclined to go anywhere and the village wasn't set up like a retirement home where there might be specific visiting hours. Dick explained that the village was made up of apartments, some furnished, some left to the discretion of the resident. Each resident led his or her own life, and came and went as he or she pleased. Unlike a regular apartment, however, a staff ran the village. Residents had their apartments cleaned regularly, their laundry done, and the landscaping as well as any needed property repairs were taken care of. Activities and outings were planned and offered in addition to shuttles for shopping and personal excursions. Although some residents chose to cook for themselves, meals were offered in the main dining room. A medical/dental clinic adjoined the facility offering easy access to these services. It was an ideal community for the elderly, at least in Dick's world.
Colt knew Kathryn would want to see James Hazlett as soon as possible, so he told Dick he would like to drive over to see his father Tuesday afternoon. He thought Dick might consider this a little over eager, but he didn't care. Dick promised to call back to confirm the time and arrangements after he spoke to his dad. He was sure there wouldn't be a problem. True to his word he followed up immediately and Colt was able to finalize the details with Kathryn. From noon to one lunch was served in the village dining room for those who wanted it. Since James Hazlett didn't cook for himself he usually took his meals there. Based on this information, the visit was set for 1:30PM. Colt invited Kathryn to have lunch with him beforehand.