Page 14 of Son of a Preacher Man
Most evenings, Kodiak made it a point to leave his sister in her brother-in-law’s hands shortly after dinner. Why tempt fate? The two of them needed each other. And honestly, that made it easier for him.
He tipped his chin at her. “You trying to scare me? Or are you aiming to join the cast of Zombieland?”
“That your way of telling me I’m a hopeless mess?”
“You’re not hopeless.” Straightening, he smirked. “Some fresh air, sunshine, and a hairbrush can work wonders.”
“I went out today.”
Yeah, to the cemetery.
Grabbing the brush off her night table, Kodiak pointed to the bed. “Sit.”
Linnea sat on the edge of the mattress. He knelt behind her, and after removing the tie, began to gently brush the tangles from her long blonde hair. “When’s the last time you used one of these?”
Shaking her head, she blindly swatted at him. “You used to do this for me when I was little.”
“Well, Catherine threatened to chop off all your pretty hair.” The witch would’ve done it too. “Couldn’t let that happen, now, could I?”
Linnea was four, maybe five. Kodiak and his father had been over for supper. Standing there in a pink flannel nightgown, she timidly handed her grandmother the brush. Catherine mercilessly tugged and yanked. The tears streaming down her face were silent at first, but ultimately, she cried out. Instead of comforting her granddaughter, the cruel woman slapped her. Then she went for the scissors.
“She always pulled so hard.”
Kodiak put himself between them, and shielding Linnea from her grandmother, took the scissors out of Catherine’s hand. Then he sat Linnea on the sofa beside him, and much like he was doing now, gently worked the snarls from her baby-fine hair.
Jarrid just watched, that ever-present smirk on his face. When they got home, he gave him a good whooping with the switch for interfering, but it was worth it. Linnea kept her hair, and after that, every time they were there, she came to him to brush it.
“There.” Smoothing the hair down her back with his hand, Kodiak kissed her crown. “All done.”
“Can you do me a favor?” She moved over, sitting up against the headboard.
“Anything.”
“Stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Anything but that.
Did Linnea realize what she was asking of him? Probably not. But then she didn’t go through the years of conditioning that he had. She never thought of him the way he’d thought of her. Since he came back, Kodiak had been very careful to avoid any situation where he might think of her like that again.
“Can you learn to love her as your sister?”
Should be easy enough, right? Wrong. Was he supposed to unlove someone he’d loved his whole life? He struggled with it for such a long time. And while it had been easier when Kyan was here, he wasn’t here anymore.
Looking into Linnea’s sad green eyes, Kodiak softly answered, “I can do that.”
She got under the covers.
He laid down beside her on top of them.
“I can’t smell him anymore.” Her sweet voice trembled. “I still feel him, though.”
“Close your eyes now.” Looping his arm around Linnea’s middle, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
She nodded, her head rubbing against his chest, and whispered, “Goodnight.”
Shadows of swaying tree branches danced on the bedroom walls. Kodiak stared at them, while he waited for Linnea to fall asleep.
“We’re friends.”
