Hell Transporter (Between) by Cyndi Tefft Read Free Book Online

else is there to stop you, really?”
    “What are you talking about, Dad?” I shook my head in confusion.
    He rubbed his neck until one side flared red under his hand. “I’m not good at this. Your mother was always better at this sort of thing.”
    “What ‘sort of thing’? You’re not making any sense.”
    He sat on the couch and took my hand, his eyes resting on mine in resignation. “I was young once. You’re nineteen years old. And he’s—what?”
    I had to think about it for a second and realized that his birthday would have been in May. “He’s twenty-one,” I answered and he straightened up in surprise.
    “Really? He seems older than that. Maybe it’s just being from Scotland. I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders and craned his neck from side to side as if his shirt were too tight. “It doesn’t really matter. What I’m trying to say is that I know what it’s like to be young and have your hormones racing.”
    My eyes flew open and I jerked my hand away from him.
    “Dad, you can’t possibly…” I started, horrified at the idea that he was trying to give me The Talk. To my surprise, he seemed offended rather than relieved.
    “Oh, can’t I? Listen here, young lady, I may be an old man, but I’m no fool. You’ve been staying here alone all summer with no chaperone, dating a guy who looks like that. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together and see that you could easily get yourself into trouble. Are you at least using protection?”
    I leapt off the couch with my mouth hanging open.
    “Dad!”
    He rolled his eyes at me and patted the cushion next to him. “Sit down, Lindsey.” I glared at him and folded my arms, holding my ground. He shook his head and sighed. “I’m not going to tell you about the birds and the bees. You’re too old for that. I’m sure you already know it all anyway. I just don’t want you to make the same mistake your mother and I did. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Sadness sunk into his shoulders and my resolve started to weaken. Finally, I dropped my arms to my side and sat down next to him.
    “You’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, with the divorce and the car accident and everything. I know how hard it’s been on you, and I don’t want to see you get hurt any more. He seems like a really nice kid, but what’s going to happen at the end of the summer? Is he going back to Scotland? Summer romances are wonderful, but I don’t want to see you broken-hearted at the end of it, baby.” He tucked a curl of my hair behind my ear and tenderly stroked my cheek with his thumb like he’d done a thousand times before.
    “I love him, Dad. And he loves me.”
    “I’m sure he says that now but—“
    I cut him off. “You once told me that when you met Mom, you knew right away you wanted to marry her. Well, he’s The One. I know.”
    He stiffened like he’d been hit with a lightning bolt.
    After a moment, he let out his breath and his eyes became glossy with tears.
    “You look so much like your mother sometimes,” he whispered, giving me a wistful smile. “I love you, sweetheart.” He pulled me into his arms and held me close. That familiar scent of shaving cream and mint gum, that smell that was so Dad , enveloped me and I smiled against his chest.
    “I love you, too.”

     
    Chapter 6
     
    I have no idea how he knew what time it was, but Aiden arrived promptly at six o’clock for dinner. I made pot roast and mashed potatoes with green beans, which both of my men heartily appreciated. It gave me such a feeling of home to see the two of them talking and laughing, enjoying one another’s company.
    “Aiden,” Dad said between bites, “being from Scotland and all, I imagine you have a taste for scotch.”
    Aiden grinned at him, wiping up some gravy with a dinner roll. “Aye, that’s true. We had a dram of whisky or a pint of ale at every meal back home.” He turned to me. “This is delicious, lass.