A Mother for Cindy Read online

  “He knows to stay away from Fred and Ethel.” Nate hurried toward the kitchen.

  “Please have a seat in the living room. I’d better check on Bingo,” Jesse murmured, following her son.

  Before she took two steps into the kitchen, the dog shot through the doggie door and raced past her as if monsters were on his tail. She heard one of her geese’s familiar honking and realized the dog had narrowly escaped—again.

  “I thought he learned his lesson the last time,” Jesse muttered as her son rushed after his pet.

  “I only have to have one confrontation with those…geese to know not to get within a hundred yards of them.”

  Jesse jumped, surprised at the sound of Nick’s voice behind her. He had come into the kitchen through the dining room and stood framed in the entrance, looking wonderfully handsome in denim jeans and a casual light-blue knit shirt.

  “Then you’re smarter than Bingo.”

  “What a relief.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorjamb, a crooked grin on his face. “Can I help you with anything?”

  “With Boswell in your employ, I don’t see you asking to help out in the kitchen much.”

  “I know my way around. I can fend for myself if the need ever arises. Remember, I served you tea yesterday.” Nick threw a glance over his shoulder and lowered his voice, “Besides, things are heating up in the living room and I thought I would give—the man and woman some privacy.”

  “Oh, you must mean Tara and Clint.” She’d almost forgotten about them as though Nick’s appearance had wiped her mind blank. “Where’s Boswell and Cindy?”

  “Cindy ran after Bingo and Boswell ran after Cindy.”

  “They’re probably all in Nate’s room by now trying to coax the dog out from under the bed. That’s where he goes to hide from Fred and Ethel.”

  “Not a bad idea. Smart dog.”

  “I’ve got everything under control.”

  Nick’s brows shot upward.

  “The dinner, I mean.”

  “Are you sure?” He gestured toward the stove.

  Jesse whirled about, the scent of burning cookies mocking her words. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with her new neighbor, her senses totally focused on him, she might have remembered she’d had them in the oven or at least smelled something was wrong before it was too late. He had a way of dominating her thoughts. Scary. She was definitely glad he was only going to be here a few months.

  Rushing forward, she yanked open the door, smoke billowing out into the kitchen. She coughed, the blast of heat hitting her. Grabbing the hot pads, she pulled out the baking sheet with fifteen toasty, dark-brown chocolate chip cookies on it.

  She dumped them in the kitchen sink along with the baking sheet, then turned to find Nick not two feet behind her. Heat scored her cheeks, and she attributed it to the oven temperature bathing her face not seconds before, not to the fact he was so near that she actually could smell his clean, fresh scent with a hint of lime. It vied with the scent of scorched cookies and definitely was a much more pleasant aroma.

  “Thankfully that’s only one batch of the cookies. Dessert isn’t completely ruined.” She fought a strong urge to fan herself and instead flipped on the exhaust fan over the stove.

  He scanned the kitchen which was neat and clean with little evidence of any meal preparation having taken place. “What are we having tonight?”

  “Aren’t cookies enough? Granted, I don’t have as many as I wanted, but I think each person will have at least three of them.”

  “A virtual feast. You’ll get no protest from Cindy.”

  “And you?”

  He shifted and leaned against the counter, taking his weight off his right leg. “I may need a bit more nourishment.”

  “Well, in that case, I have a potato salad, hamburgers and baked beans. I thought that would suit the children better. Now that the cookies are done, I’ll put the beans in the oven and start the grill.” She moved toward the refrigerator and took a casserole dish out.

  “Grill them? Out back?”

  Jesse peered at him as she placed the beans on the rack in the oven. “Yes.”

  “With those mon—geese?”

  “The grill is on the deck. I thought we would eat out there, too. The evening is lovely. Fred and Ethel won’t bother us.”

  “Weren’t they just out on the deck chasing Bingo?”

  “No, they always stop short of coming up the steps.”

  “You couldn’t tell from the racket they were making.”

  “When night comes, they settle down.”

  “Night isn’t for a few more hours.”

  She straightened, looking him directly in the eyes. “Trust me. You’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not worried about myself, but Cindy was very upset yesterday morning.”

  “I know, but I want her to feel comfortable over here. Fred and Ethel will stay by the lake and their nest. I promise.” She sensed the little girl needed a woman’s influence right now in her life. She could never turn her back on a child in need. She intended to befriend Cindy while she was here. “If you want to help, you can bring the tray in the refrigerator out onto the deck while I check to make sure Tara and Clint are all right.”

  Nick pushed away from the counter. “I haven’t heard any sounds from the living room in the past five minutes.”

  “No, and that has me worried. They were engaged and Clint called it off the other day, just weeks before they were to be married. Claimed he wasn’t ready for marriage.”

  “Smart guy.”

  Jesse halted at the entrance into the dining room. She remembered Cindy’s words about wishing she had a mother. “You don’t believe in marriage?”

  “It’s fine for some people, but I’m not one of them.”

  The bitterness in his voice caused her heart to ache for the pain he must have endured. What had made him so against marriage? His late wife? Her death? She recalled her own anger after her husband had died. But she was definitely over that. She had been lucky to have one good marriage. The Lord had been good to her and she wanted to share the bounty. She wanted others to have what she’d had.

  She escaped into the dining room, warily approaching the living room. She didn’t hear any voices. Had they done bodily harm to each other? Clint had been furious that Tara was at one of her little dinner parties. When Jesse stepped into the room, she stopped at the doorway. Clint’s arms were wrapped around Tara, his lips locked to hers, their bodies pressed together. The couple didn’t even hear her come in nor sense her, so absorbed were they in each other. She was happy for her friend, but now, who was she going to find for Nick? The man needed a good woman to ease the pain in his heart. And Cindy needed a mother.

  Deciding she had to rethink her strategy, Jesse started to back out of the living room when Clint and Tara came up for air. Her friend peered over at her and smiled.

  “Clint ask me to run off and get married and I said yes.” Tara’s eyes were bright with happiness. “We’re leaving tonight. Not a word to anyone until tomorrow, Jesse.”

  She held up her hands. “Not a peep out of me. Promise.”

  Clint threw her a perturbed look. “I should be really mad at you, Jesse, but I guess this dinner you planned knocked some sense into me, so for that reason you’ll be welcome in our home.” He drew Tara against him. “We need to get moving before Susan gets here.”

  Tara hurried to Jesse and hugged her. “You know just the right thing to do. What a matchmaker you are! I owe you.”

  The couple was gone before Jesse could blink. Okay, this was a success. Not quite the one she had planned for the evening, but a match had been made. She would end this evening early and start over tomorrow. There had to be someone for Nick Blackburn, someone special who could change his mind about marriage and give Cindy what she wanted.

  * * *

  His leg ached. Sinking onto a chair on the deck, Nick rubbed it. The two geese were keeping a wary eye on him and he was
keeping a wary eye on them out in the yard under a giant maple with a tree house in it and a large sign posted that read, No Girls Alowed. He chuckled at the sign on the ladder leading up to the tree house. What a cool place to escape to and play in. As a boy he would have liked it. But his childhood had been very different from Jesse’s son’s.

  He couldn’t believe he was even here this evening. He was doing it for his daughter who had taken a liking to Jesse. She needed a woman’s influence in her life and most likely wasn’t going to have one when they returned to Chicago in a few months.

  Just this morning Cindy asked him about makeup. Six years old! His baby! He had told her she was years—and years—away from wearing any. She had wanted to know where her mother’s was. That had stopped him cold. He had hated to tell her he’d thrown it out. The look on his daughter’s face made him regret doing it in a fit of anger after he’d come home from the hospital that first time.

  The throbbing in his leg reinforced his determination to wipe his wife from his memory. The only good thing that had come of their marriage was Cindy, but what was he supposed to do with a little girl? He felt out of his element. He was at home in a boardroom, not playing dolls with his daughter.

  He was determined to bond with Cindy one way or another these next couple of months. He owed her that after the past year with him in and out of the hospital having several surgeries on his leg or with him working long hours at his company because of all the time he had been injured. Now at least, he had a good team in place who could run the business while he kept in touch long distance. The only thing he needed to figure out was how he was going to accomplish bonding with his only child.

  “I hope you’re hungry. I think I prepared enough to feed half of Sweetwater.”

  Shoving away those memories he usually kept locked up, Nick turned his full attention to the petite woman hurrying across the deck toward him. She reminded him of a breath of fresh air. He liked her straightforward manner, something he wasn’t used to in a woman. With his wife he’d never been sure what mood she would be in. Their last year of marriage, all they had done was argue.

  “I can probably eat my fair share.” He pushed to his feet, ignoring the dull throb that he hadn’t managed to massage away.

  Favoring his leg, he made his way to the propane grill, ready to assist Jesse. After she lit the grill, she slapped the hamburgers on the metal rack and stood back. He took a deep breath, inhaling her particular scent of jasmine. It teased his senses, reminding him he hadn’t been around too many women socially this past year. He wanted to lean close and take another deep breath. He didn’t.

  Needing some space, he stepped to the railing, his back to her. He stared at the lake, its smooth, blue water having a calming effect on him. “It looks like you have everything under control.”

  “Yeah. Gramps accuses me of being a control freak. I’m not. Just very organized.”

  “So am I. I find it’s easier to run a company that way.”

  “And a house.” She came to stand next to him.

  Her arm brushed against his. He tensed, the feel of her electric. He sidled a step away, a finely honed tension bolting through him. “Where’s everyone? Still trying to coax Bingo out from under the bed?”

  “I’m sure by now Nate is showing off his animal collection to Cindy and Boswell. Tara and Clint left. And I’m not sure where my grandfather is. He should have been home fifteen minutes—”

  The sound of the back door opening interrupted Jesse. She turned at the same time Nick did and ended up touching him again. She shivered from the brief contact. The deck ran the whole length of the house, and they couldn’t manage not to brush against each other?

  “There you are, Gramps. We were just wondering where you were.”

  “Susan had something to show me. Lost track of time.”

  “I’m so glad you could come tonight, Susan.” Jesse offered the older woman a bright smile she hoped would cover her sudden nervousness at the nearness of her neighbor. Stepping forward, she made the introductions.

  “I wouldn’t miss one of your little dinner parties for the world,” Susan said as she checked out Nick. “It’s so much better to get the latest firsthand.”

  Jesse blushed, aware that Nick was suddenly staring at her.

  “Where’s Tara?” Gramps asked, breaking the silence that had followed Susan’s declaration.

  “She had to leave—with Clint.”

  “Clint!” Susan exclaimed. “My, my, that does shake things up tonight. What are you going to do, my dear?”

  Nick came up behind Jesse and said in a low voice, “Why do I get the feeling I’m missing something here?”

  Jesse tried to ignore his question while she thought of an appropriate answer for Susan. “Not a thing. We’re going to eat soon and enjoy each other’s company. I’m tickled pink that Tara and Clint are back together.” Jesse was sure her cheeks were past the pink stage. Cherry-red was more like it.

  “You should be. You fixed them up in the first place.” Gramps took Susan’s hand and led her to the love seat where the tortilla chips and guacamole dip were on a glass table in front of them. He began to munch.

  If her grandfather kept his mouth full, maybe she would make it through this evening without Nick realizing she’d planned for him to meet and hopefully date Tara. Of course, there was always Susan, who was a fountain of information and loved spewing it. Jesse was positive that Nick wouldn’t appreciate knowing he was part of one of her matchmaking schemes, especially after his earlier comment concerning marriage.

  Why was he so against marriage?

  “Jesse, dear, I think you should turn the hamburgers.” Susan scooped up some dip on a chip and popped it into her mouth.

  Caught off guard, Jesse spun about and hurried toward the grill. She flipped the patties over, grimacing when she noticed the slightly charred side. “I really can cook, Nick. I’ve been distracted this evening. Normally one of my parties goes over without a hitch.”

  “How often do you entertain?” Nick asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.

  “Oh, whenever the urge strikes me.” She waved her hand in the air as though to dismiss the subject as unimportant and hoped no one commented.

  “I have to admit, this is a beautiful setting for a dinner. I had my doubts about eating outside with those two so near.” Nick tossed his head in the direction of the geese now waddling toward the lake. “But you were right. They’re staying away.”

  Fred flapped his wings as though he knew he was being discussed. Jesse chuckled. “You probably shouldn’t take a tour of my backyard any time soon.”

  “You’ll have no argument from me.”

  The back door burst open again, and the children, followed by Boswell, came out onto the deck. Cindy and Nate raced toward them, skidding to a halt a foot in front of them.

  Cindy grinned, showing her missing front tooth. “Daddy, you should see Nate’s room. He has so many pets. I got to hold Julia, Rita and Sadie. They’re gerbils. Julia went to the bathroom on Boswell.”

  Jesse swallowed her laugh and tried her best to keep a straight face. Looking at Boswell, she noticed a wet spot on his black suit coat. “I’m sorry. She does that sometimes when she’s picked up. Nate should have warned you.”

  “It must have slipped his mind.” Boswell sent a censured look toward Nate.

  “It did, Mom. Promise.”

  “I just came out here to tell you, Mr. Blackburn, that I’m going back to the house to change.”

  “Sure.” Nick, too, was having a hard time keeping his mirth to himself if the gleam glittering in his eyes was any indication.

  “Please, begin eating without me. I know the children are hungry.”

  When Boswell disappeared, Jesse and Nick couldn’t contain their laughter any longer. “I wish I could have seen his expression when that happened,” Jesse said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “His face turned real red.” Nate grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them i
nto his mouth.

  “I never saw Boswell move so fast.” Cindy giggled. “I wanted to play with the animals longer, but Boswell thought we should join the adults.”

  “Is Boswell a nanny?” Susan asked.

  Cindy pulled her father over to the other love seat. “Oh, no. Boswell is a manservant,” she answered in a serious tone as though she had been corrected before about Boswell’s role and wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  While Nick and Cindy got to know her family, Jesse finished the dinner preparations and put the food on the long picnic table she’d already set earlier. She removed Tara’s place setting, genuinely happy for her friend. Tara wouldn’t have been right for Nick, Jesse decided, now that she knew him better. Tara was flighty and so absentminded that she would have driven Nick crazy after the first date. No, she would have to find someone more disciplined and in control, more organized.

  God, please help me to find someone for Nick, someone to be a good mother for Cindy.

  As she called the others to the table, the perfect match came to Jesse’s mind. Felicia Winters, the lady with the kittens, and Jesse knew how she could get them together without raising Nick’s suspicion with another dinner party. She smiled as she sat between Gramps and Nate and across from Nick. She looked right into his dark eyes and shivered. He was staring at her with an intense, probing gaze as though he were trying to read what was going on in her mind. Heavens, she couldn’t have that!

  “Do you think Boswell will come back?” Nate asked after Jesse said the prayer. He bit down on his hamburger, managing to stuff a third of it into his mouth.

  “Young man, this isn’t a race to see who finishes first.” Jesse passed the baked beans to Gramps.

  Her son stopped chewing for a few seconds, then swallowed his food, making a gulping sound. Jesse rolled her eyes and hoped she didn’t run out of patience.

  Nate slurped some of his milk, leaving a white mustache on his face. “Sorry, Mom.”

  She unfolded his napkin and gave it to him. “Please wipe your mouth.”

  “Jesse, he’s doing fine. He’s just being a boy.”

  Jesse resisted the urge to nudge her grandfather in the side to keep him quiet. Instead, she sent him a narrowed look. She loved Gramps, but he wasn’t the best role model for her son. Thankfully he wasn’t cussing like he used to. When he’d first come to live with them three years before, she remembered having to cover her son’s ears on more than one occasion.