A Mother for Cindy Read online

  “While we’re here, let’s check around. No one has in a few hours.”

  “Good idea,” Jesse said as they emerged from the trees on the west side of her house. She glanced toward the tall maple where Nate had his tree house. In the opening she spied Oreo trying to climb down. She grabbed Nick’s arm. “Look.”

  At a jog he headed toward the ladder and scrambled up it with Jesse right behind him. “Cynthia Blackburn!”

  “Is Nate there? Are they all right?” Jesse asked, blocked from seeing inside by Nick’s large body.

  Nate stuck his head out the window. “I’m here, Mom. We’re fine.”

  Those were the sweetest words she could have heard. As she clung to a rung of the ladder, she sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord, then said, “Young man, you get down here right now. I have a few words to say to you and I prefer looking you in the eye when I say them.” Jesse hopped to the ground, then backed away from the maple so the rest of them could come down.

  Nick stood beside her as both children climbed down the ladder, Cindy holding her two dolls while Nate had Oreo. Jesse had a strong urge to hug her son while she yelled at him. Relief and anger mingled to form a ball of conflicting emotions inside her.

  “What do you two have to say for yourselves?” Nick asked, such a quietness to his words that the children’s eyes grew round.

  Cindy sidled up to Nate and clutched her dolls even tighter. “I don’t want to leave early. You promised me.” Her bottom lip stuck out while her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  “Do you two have any idea how much trouble you caused everyone in Sweetwater? Half the town is looking for you.” Narrowing her gaze on the pair belonging to her son, Jesse put her hands on her waist.

  “They are?” Nate asked, his voice cracking.

  “Yes, young man. You have a lot of explaining to do. The first thing you’re going to do is write a letter of apology to the people who have given up their time to search for you.”

  “That’s a very good idea, Jesse. Cindy, you can do the same thing.”

  Cindy and Nate dropped their gazes to the ground, their chins resting on their chests.

  “After that you can donate some of your time cleaning up around the church. There are weeds to be pulled, gardens to be tended. I’m sure that Reverend Collins can come up with a list of chores for you to do, Nate.”

  “Cindy will help him.”

  “For how long?” Nate brought his head up to look at Jesse.

  “I’m so mad at you right now that I’d better not say. I think I might ground you for the rest of your life. So don’t push it. Right now you march yourself inside and go straight to your room.”

  Nate gave Cindy the kitten, then trudged toward the back door. When he reached the deck, Boswell appeared between the two houses. His face lit when he saw Cindy.

  “Daddy, are you mad at me?”

  “I can’t believe you would pull something like running away. I was so worried about you. What if you had gotten hurt?”

  “Nate was with me.”

  Boswell stopped at Nick’s side. “Everything okay? Where were they?”

  His normal composure was gone. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled as though he had traveled over rough terrain searching for the children. Jesse had never seen Boswell like that. “They were in the tree house.”

  “But didn’t you look there?”

  “Yes, but not for a few hours.”

  “I’m tired. I want to go home.” Cindy tried holding both her kitten and dolls, but Oreo slipped from her grasp and darted across the yard. She started after her pet.

  “I’ll take care of her, sir. You’d better let the authorities and everyone know you’ve found the children.” Boswell hurried after Cindy and the kitten, rounding them up and taking them into the house next door.

  With both children safe and inside their homes, Jesse turned to Nick, suddenly aware they were alone. She stared into the liquid darkness of his eyes and remembered how he had held her when she had started to fall apart. If she wasn’t careful, she could become used to his particular brand of comfort.

  “I don’t know how to—” Her cell phone blared, interrupting her thankfully because she wasn’t sure what to say to Nick. Instead, she answered her call.

  “Just checking in. Find them yet?”

  Gramps’s gruff question pulled her back to the situation at hand. “Yes, Nick and I did a few minutes ago. They were in the tree house out back.”

  “But you looked there.”

  “I think because it was getting dark they decided to come closer to home.”

  “Have you called the police yet?”

  “No. I haven’t had time.”

  “I’ll take care of it. I’ll also let everyone else know. Then I’m coming home to have a few words with that great-grandson of mine.”

  When she finished talking with her grandfather, she said, “Gramps will take care of letting people know we found them.”

  Nick smiled. “I wonder what Boswell thinks of Susan and Gramps together.”

  “Do you think Boswell really liked Susan?”

  Nick lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “It’s hard to tell. Boswell is a very private person.”

  “Like his employer?”

  “Yes.” Nick’s gaze caught hers and held it for a long moment.

  A light breeze stirred the summer heat about Jesse. She brushed the damp tendrils away from her face and drew in a deep breath of the rose-scented air. The glittering blue of the lake drew her attention. Its smooth surface reflected the colors of the setting sun—red, orange, pink. Vibrant colors. Ones that reminded a person she was alive, that her son was safe, that the man she had come to care about was only a foot away. She could reach out and grasp his hand, hold on to it and possibly convince him not to leave.

  She could. She wouldn’t. As the hours had passed and they hadn’t found the children, all the pain of losing Mark had come back to haunt her. She had to protect her heart. She couldn’t go through losing someone close to her again. It was bad enough that Gramps was getting older and his health was declining.

  “We’ll stay until the end of July.”

  Nick’s proclamation both frightened and thrilled her. She wanted Cindy—and him—to stay, and yet the more she was around them, the more she wished they were living in Sweetwater permanently. He had made that very clear that wasn’t possible. Only heartache laid ahead if she fell in love with Nick Blackburn.

  “But I don’t want to tell Cindy right away.”

  “Aren’t you risking her doing something like today again?”

  “No, because I’m going to make it very clear if she doesn’t behave we are leaving immediately. That I will pack up and be gone in an hour’s time.”

  The idea of how quick his presence could be erased from her life gripped her as though a vise held her tight. “I would like to throw her a birthday party. Is that all right?”

  “No.”

  With her emotions swirling in all different directions, Jesse suddenly felt deflated and tried not to show her disappointment. “Why not?”

  “Because I am. But I’ll accept your help. How about it?” he asked with a smile.

  “You’ve got yourself a partner.”

  His eyes widened for a few seconds before he said, “Great. I’ll have to depend on you to invite all the friends she has made.”

  “You’d better be careful. Depending on someone? Tsk. Tsk. What will people think?”

  “That I have good taste. Who better than you—the woman who knows everyone in town—to tell me whom to invite to my daughter’s birthday party?”

  Jesse began walking toward her deck. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “It was a compliment. I probably know maybe three of the other people who live in my building and that’s from seeing them in the lobby.”

  “Not the elevator?”

  “I have a private elevator that goes only to my floor.”

  “So you don�
��t have to mingle with your neighbors.”

  “Truthfully, even if I had neighbors next door, I wouldn’t have had the time to get to know them. I was always working.”

  “How are you surviving not working so much?”

  He smiled. “At first I thought I would go crazy. Lately I have had a lot of things to keep me occupied.”

  “Like today.”

  “That and picnics, fishing trips, dinners.”

  “So it is possible for you to find things to do besides work and you don’t fall apart.”

  Chuckling, he said, “I would rather not spend another day like this one.”

  “I agree. I’m exhausted both mentally and physically. After I have a little talk with Nate, I’m heading to bed.”

  “Without dinner?”

  “I don’t even have the energy to fix myself something to eat.”

  He arched a brow. “You’ve got it bad.”

  “There you two are,” Gramps called out as he and Susan came out of the house and stood on the deck.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll coordinate the chores the kids need to do.” Nick took her hand and squeezed it before strolling toward his house.

  Jesse stared at him for a few seconds, then mounted the stairs to the deck. She noticed her grandfather’s arm around Susan’s shoulder. The older woman had a huge smile on her face that took years off her age. Her blue eyes twinkled as she edged even closer to Gramps.

  “Does everyone know the children are safe?”

  “Yes, so you don’t have to worry about that. Why did they run away?”

  “Because Cindy didn’t want to leave and Nate wanted to help her.”

  “That’s my boy, coming to a female’s rescue.”

  “Gramps, I would hardly call what Nate did rescuing Cindy. She wasn’t in jeopardy.”

  “It’s all in how you look at it. Just think if Cindy had gone off by herself what kind of trouble the child might have gotten herself in.”

  Jesse shuddered at the thought. “So you think I should reward my son?”

  Gramps shook his head. “Just remember this day could have ended a lot worse. Besides, if Nate and Cindy hadn’t run away, I might not be holding Susan right now.”

  “Gerard,” Susan said, playfully punching him in the arm while her cheeks flamed red.

  “You know I’m right. You’ve been avoiding me, but you couldn’t ignore a plea to help look for the children.”

  Jesse narrowed her eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you put the children up to running away.”

  Susan pulled away. “Gerard, you didn’t?”

  “No, I would never do that to Nick and Jesse.” He grinned. “I was banking on charming my way back into your life. I wasn’t going to let an Englishman break us up.”

  “Us as in a couple?”

  Gramps turned fully to face Susan and cupped her face. “Us as in a couple. I love you, Susan Reed, and I want to marry you.”

  Susan’s eyes brimmed with tears. One fell on Gramps’s hand. He pulled her against him. “Will you, Susan?”

  “Yes. Yes, I will, Gerard Daniels.”

  Jesse backed away from the pair, wanting to give them some private time. But her heart expanded in her chest, her breath caught in her throat. Her own tears of happiness welled to the surface. What a beautiful way to end a horrible day.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Is this a weed?” Cindy asked, kneeling in the grass with a bucket half full next to her.

  Nate stared at the green plant. “I think anything taller than the grass is a weed.”

  Cindy yanked on the plant, leaving most of the roots in the ground. She tossed it into the bucket. “When is your mom coming back?”

  “She had something to do in the church, then she’s going to bring us some sodas to drink.”

  Cindy dragged the back of her hand across her forehead. “It sure is hot.”

  “Yep. Let’s work over by that tree where it’s shady.” Nate gestured toward a tall oak.

  “Good idea.” Cindy hopped to her feet and carried her bucket to a spot under the tree. “I wish I wasn’t leaving at the end of next week. Why can’t we live here?”

  Nate put his bucket next to hers. “You know if my mom and your dad got married, you could live here in our house. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about leaving.”

  Cindy’s eyes brightened. “Yes! That’s it. I would love to have Jesse as my mom.”

  “And your dad is cool.”

  Cindy’s bright expression dimmed. “But how do we get them together?”

  “I saw a movie once where two girls got their mom and dad alone on a date and everything worked out.”

  “Yeah, that could work. We’re usually around when they’re together.” Cindy thought for a moment. “But how are we gonna do that?”

  Grinning, Nate explained, “We’ll plan a picnic at O’Reilly’s Cove and not show up.”

  * * *

  “I thought Gramps and the kids were going to be here. Where are they?” Jesse looked around O’Reilly’s Cove and only saw a sandy beach and a large rock slide jutting out into the calm blue water. No skiff. No people other than she and Nick.

  “Look.” He pointed toward a picnic basket with a blanket spread out under an elm tree. “They must be around here somewhere. They’ve left the food. I’m hungry. Let’s see what they fixed for lunch.”

  On top of the basket there was a note weighted down with a rock keeping it from blowing away. Jesse recognized her grandfather’s handwriting and picked it up and read it aloud. “‘Enjoy. Decided to take the kids with me to look for a ring for Susan. We’ll be back when we are through.’” She crunched the paper into a ball. “I thought I was going with Gramps to help with the ring.”

  “I can’t believe the kids agreed to go—” Nick rubbed his chin. “Unless they’re up to something.”

  “What?”

  “Take a look around. Secluded cove. Basket full of food. A blanket. What does that bring to mind?”

  “A date?”

  Nick nodded.

  “You know, I’ve heard those two whispering a lot lately. Yesterday at church when I brought them their sodas while they were weeding, they were giggling and giving me strange looks. I should have figured they were up to something. We should just leave and meet them in town—if they are really going to look for a ring, that is.”

  “And give up all this food? Let’s eat first, then surprise them at the jewelry store.”

  “I guess. I am hungry.” Jesse lifted the lid on the basket. She began laying out the cartons of food.

  “I can tell Boswell wasn’t in on their scheme. This all looks like it came from a fast-food chicken place.”

  “This no doubt is Gramps’s contribution to the plan. He thinks all food should be fried, even vegetables.”

  Sitting on the blanket near Jesse, Nick took a piece of fried chicken and bit into it. “Not bad.”

  “Mine’s better. I have a secret batter recipe that was passed down in my family.” Jesse went straight to the coleslaw, loving this particular place’s recipe. “Do you want any of this?” she asked in a generous mood as she held up the container.

  “Nah. I think I’ll stuff myself on chicken. I don’t get fried food often. Boswell’s on a health kick.”

  “Since you’re a meat-and-potato kind of guy, I’ll let you have the mashed potatoes while I eat the biscuits.” She bent closer to whisper, “But don’t tell anyone that our lunch isn’t what you would call well balanced.”

  He inhaled a deep breath. “You smell good.”

  His smile curved his full mouth and centered her attention on it. For a second she allowed herself to respond to his compliment, a warmth flowing through her. Then her panic took hold and she said, “That’s because we didn’t walk here but drove instead.” She leaned away, reminding herself not to get too close to Nick. That was when she started thinking things that weren’t possible.

  His chuckle mingled with the sounds of w
ater lapping against the shore, a bird up in the elm tree above them, the rustle of the leaves from the gentle breeze. “True.”

  The warm feeling returned and chased away the panic. She raised her gaze to his, the mischievous gleam pulling her even closer to him. His mouth that looked so good with a smile on it was a whisper away from hers. So much for putting distance between them, she thought, her eyes sliding closed.

  His thumb touched her lips first, caressing her with a lightness that shivered down her. Then his mouth claimed hers and she could taste the spicy chicken he’d been eating as well as the mint of his toothpaste. Those sensations heightened the intimacy of the moment as his arms went about her and drew her against him.

  The sound of a flock of geese flying overhead broke them apart. Jesse scooted away, needing to put that space between them before her emotions were totally involved. Who was she kidding? They were totally involved and she was going to end up getting hurt. More than ever she needed to back off.

  She propped herself up against the tree trunk and ate her coleslaw while Nick silently finished off two more pieces of chicken, then started in on the mashed potatoes. A frown descended over his features the longer he sat across from her as though he didn’t like the direction his thoughts were going in.

  “When you go back to Chicago, what are you going to do?”

  He continued eating, his gaze trained on a spot between them. “Work. That’s all I know how to do. I’ve neglected my company long enough.”

  “How about Cindy?” Her original assessment that the child needed a mother hadn’t changed.

  “I’ll adjust my schedule to accommodate Cindy.”

  “Are you listening to yourself? You make her sound like she’s part of your work to be squeezed in accordingly.”

  His head jerked up and his regard sharpened, cutting through her. “Cindy will be my number one priority.”

  “She isn’t a job. She’s your daughter.”

  This time he surged to his feet. “I know she’s my daughter. I don’t need you to tell me that. Nor do I need you to tell me how to raise her.”

  “She told me she wants to take dance lessons. Did you know that?” Jesse rose, squaring off in front of Nick, ready to do battle for the little girl she had come to love like her own.