A Fair of the Heart, Welcome To Redemption, Book1 (4 page)

Caleb swung Emma up and propped her on his
hip, like an old pro. “And how’s the prettiest little girl in
Redemption doing?”

“I helped Momma cook. We make pork chops and
corn.”

“Wow, beautiful and a good cook, just like
your mommy. You’re going to make some lucky guy very happy one
day.”

Lauren playfully rolled her eyes as she took
Emma from him. “One day way, way in the future,” she teased as she
settled her in her high chair.

“Max!” Emma squealed.

Lauren swung her head around, and sure
enough, Max stood at the bottom of the stairs, gaze wary, arms
crossed and shoulders hunched. He cast Caleb a dismissive glance
before walking around to take his usual seat at the table, directly
across from where Caleb sat.

“I’m glad you decided to join us,” she said.
“I made those brown and serve rolls you like so much.”

Max gave a curt nod to indicate he’d heard
her, but that was it.

Caleb met her gaze and quirked a brow, but
Lauren shook her head, so he remained silent. Max was sitting at
the dinner table with them, and for now, that was enough.

Lauren would take any little bit of forward
progress she could and be grateful for it.

If not for Emma, they would have eaten in
virtual silence. Besides her happy chattering, the only sounds to
be heard were the scraping of silverware on plates and ice clinking
in glasses. Lauren’s hope grew when Max stayed and ate chocolate
cake with them. And the whole meal was eaten without one single
insult leaving his lips. For the first time in months, Lauren felt
a glimmer of optimism.

“Well…” Caleb pushed his chair back. “Guess
I’d better go earn my supper. What do you have next on the
agenda?”

Caleb spent the next two hours shaving a good
chunk off her ‘to fix’ list. And Lauren started to feel like a
couple of dinners just weren’t payment enough for all the work he’d
done. Not to mention his help with Max. That alone was worth a
whole lifetime of home-cooked goodness as far as she was
concerned.

Whoa...a whole lifetime? Hell, you don’t even
know if the man’s a good kisser yet.

He came up behind her and rested his hands on
her shoulders. Lauren flinched; he dropped his hands. “Sorry.
Didn’t mean to scare you.”

She turned to face him and gave her head a
self-conscious shake. “No, it’s all me. I was lost in thought.”

“Turn around.”

“Huh?”

Caleb chuckled. He gently turned her so she
was facing away from him again, then grasped her shoulders and
started kneading.

Lauren closed her eyes as a low groan of
contentment reverberated in her throat. She couldn’t remember the
last time she’d gotten a massage, and Lord did it feel heavenly.
After about thirty seconds, she knew she had to stop him before she
melted into a puddle on the floor. She opened her eyes—and met her
son’s harsh gaze. He spun around and raced up the stairs.

“Max!” Lauren tore free of Caleb’s magic
fingers. She heard a door slam and stood helpless, unsure whether
she should race up after him, or leave well enough alone and let
him sulk in peace.

“He’s going through a difficult time. It’s
hard for a young boy to understand why his father would up and
leave him. And even worse when they don’t call or write.”

Lauren turned to glare up at him. “You think
I don’t know that? That I’m clueless when it comes to my own son
and need you to explain him to me?”

“I didn’t mean—”

Lauren took a deep, shuddering breath. “It’s
been a year since John left. He could be dead for all I know, and
frankly, for all I care. But my son cares. I live every day in fear
that if John doesn’t contact us soon, Max will blame me
forever...hate me forever. Do you have any idea what that feels
like?”

Caleb propped his hands on his hips and
dropped his gaze to the floor. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you,
only to help. I’d best get going.”

When he turned to leave, Lauren’s anger
expelled in a big whoosh as she realized she was about to chase
away the only person, besides Carrie, who’d ever shown an interest
in her kids. “Please don’t. I’m so sorry. I-I just need a day at
the spa or something.” She tried to laugh, but it came out more of
a croaky sob.

Caleb turned back around and pulled her into
his arms. “Lady, what is it about you?” he whispered against her
cheek.

Lauren snuggled into his embrace, soaking him
in like a dry sponge, wanting nothing more than to stay in his arms
forever. But reality reared its ugly head, and she knew she
couldn’t indulge herself for long. Not with Max so upset upstairs.
“Caleb, I need to go talk to him. I know he’s a big boy, but he’s
still only ten years old and doesn’t understand why I would let
someone besides his father...touch me.”

He pulled back and cleared his throat. “If
you need anything...”

“I know. And thank you. For everything. I’ll
talk to you soon, I promise.”

His gaze dropped to her lips, and for a
moment Lauren thought he would kiss her. But they both knew the
time wasn’t right, so with obvious regret, he stepped back and
said, “Call me if you need anything.”

Caleb stood staring down at his mother’s
grave, his heart heavy with guilt, his throat swollen with
repressed grief. She’d been asking for him to visit more often the
past couple of years, never pressing too hard, just casual comments
like, “Sure wish your job allowed you to travel more.” Or “So, you
seeing anyone special? I’d love to meet her.” How sadly ironic that
when he finally finds a woman who intrigues him like no other, she
lives only a few miles from his mother’s home.

Crouching down, he blew out a shaky breath.
Rosalee Hunter, Beloved Mother. Christ, what he wouldn’t give to be
able to turn back time and do it all again. Make better choices, be
less judgmental, more forgiving. Be the kind of son she’d
deserved.

If he’d visited more often, he’d have met
Lauren sooner and his mother could’ve known her. A smile touched
his lips. His mother would’ve loved Emma. And she would’ve turned
herself inside out trying to help Max cope with the loss of his
father.

Just as she’d done for Caleb.

He reached out and ran a reverent finger
across the words etched in marble. If Caleb hadn’t been busy
holding grudges, he probably would’ve been there when she’d had her
massive heart attack. Maybe he would’ve had a chance to say all the
things he should’ve said years ago. Maybe he’d have gotten one
last, long overdue “I love you” in there.

Caleb kissed his fingers and pressed them to
his mother’s name. He stood and flexed his hands, feeling
incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin.
A day late and a
dollar short. Just like you always said, Mom
.

The last few rays of sunlight faded into the
western horizon as Caleb walked back to his truck. He needed a
drink. Maybe two. Just to take the edge off. And he hadn’t been
inside Rowdy’s in years. Besides, if he went back to the house in
this frame of mind, he’d probably lapse into a state of
depression—like he had when he’d returned home from active
duty.

He passed Hutch’s Diner and couldn’t help
taking a quick glance inside before pulling into Rowdy’s parking
lot across the street. Caleb sat for a moment, fingers laced on the
steering wheel, watching as Ed “Hutch” Hutchington poured a cup of
coffee for a customer. Maybe the time’s come to forgive. With a
silent sigh, Caleb grabbed his keys and climbed out of the truck,
ignoring the urge to spin around and head to Hutch’s place
instead.

As soon as he yanked open the door, a feeling
of familiarity overcame him. A welcome feeling, much to his
surprise. The place looked the same, as far as he could remember:
plenty of beer paraphernalia covering the walls; signs, mirrors, a
clock with a moving waterfall. A country love song played on the
jukebox, and Caleb’s gaze was drawn to the young couple dancing in
the corner, held tight in each other’s arms while they swayed to
the music. A wistful feeling tightened his chest, and he imagined
slow-dancing with Lauren, her beautiful blue eyes gazing up at him,
full of love and ablaze with promise.

Jesus, Hunter, get a grip. You’ve only
known the lady three days.
He blinked the image away, gave
himself a mental shake, and proceeded toward the bar. Caleb slid
onto a stool and folded his arms on the counter. The tallest woman
he’d ever seen strolled toward him, and he found himself sitting up
a little straighter. As she drew near, he realized she had
piercings in her face. Now there was one thing Caleb would never
understand, someone wanting to punch a hole through their nose.

“Evening.” She set a bowl of pretzels in
front of him. “What can I get you?”

“Give me a shot of Christian Brothers, if you
have it, and a bottle of Bud.”

She retrieved a familiar bottle from the top
shelf behind her, a shot glass from beneath the bar, and poured him
a healthy splash. Caleb tossed the shot back just as she set his
beer down in front of him.

“Thanks.” He dug a twenty out of his wallet
and tossed it on the bar.

After making his change, she tilted her head
to the side. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before. You new
in town?”

Caleb took a pull on his beer, resisting the
urge to glance back at the dancing couple. “No, I grew up here.
Joined the Army after high school and haven’t been back much
since.”

“Well, let’s hope you’re here to stay this
time.” She gave him a wink before strolling off to take care of
some other customers.

Caleb nursed his beer, his head a jumble of
thoughts. He planned to take the electrician’s exam on Monday, and
knew he was as prepared as he’d ever be. He’d been taking odd jobs
around town since after his mother’s funeral, and thanks to
word-of-mouth, his phone had been ringing off the hook with people
in need of his services. The time had come to make a decision about
his future—stay in Redemption or head back to Chicago.

Until a few days ago, he’d been leaning
toward Chicago, even if he’d never been especially happy there. But
it had been home for so long, and he’d made a few friends over the
years. Then he’d met Lauren and his whole perspective changed—which
scared the living shit out of him. The possibility of a
happily-ever-after suddenly seemed real and within reach. He’d
never been one to believe in love at first sight, but what else
could explain the soul-deep awareness that had cold-cocked him the
first time he’d laid eyes on her?

Or maybe it was something more basic, the
rational part of his brain reasoned. He was thirty-four years old.
Never married, no children. Maybe men had internal clocks, too, and
his days of hitting the snooze button were coming to an end. Time
to settle down and start a family before he was too old to enjoy
them.

But a ready-made family? Not too long ago the
thought would’ve terrified him. Now, much to his amazement, not so
much. He could easily imagine waking up next to Lauren every day
for the next fifty years. And Max and Emma deserved better than a
father who’d slunk off in the middle of the night like a coward. A
father who couldn’t be bothered to call his own children, let them
know where he was, why he left, and when—or if—he’d be back.

Max needed a father who would love and guide
him, teach him what it means to be a man, not a coward who runs out
on the people who need him most. Teach him that a real man respects
women; he doesn’t take advantage of them physically or
emotionally.

Emma, on the other hand, needed unconditional
love and support. Too young to have any lasting memories of her
father, she was a clean slate, and whoever she ended up calling
daddy would be a lucky man indeed. Those children deserved the
best, and so did Lauren. But was Caleb that man? Was he ready to
become a father to those children?

Jesus, Hunter, jumping the gun a little here,
or what?

“Hey, Marv, isn’t that the same kid from last
week?”

Caleb turned to see who the bartender
referred to, and there stood Max, feeding money into the cigarette
machine. Caleb should’ve been surprised to see him, but wasn’t.
Good God, couldn’t the kid give his mother one friggin’ night’s
peace?

“Yup, that’s the one,” Caleb heard from
behind him.

“Thought so. I’ll go grab the little punk,
you call the cops.”

Caleb rose up and turned to face them.
“Listen, I know the kid’s mother, and she’s had a pretty bad time
of it lately. Let me take him home, and I promise you won’t see him
in here again.”

Marv and the Amazon woman exchanged looks.
Marv shrugged. “Fine. But if I see him in here again, I’m calling
the cops.”

Caleb nodded. “Appreciate it.” He left his
change on the bar and strode across the room until he was standing
right behind the little shit. “I thought I told you these things
are bad for you.”

Max jumped almost a foot in the air. When he
recognized Caleb, he let out a curse and stuffed his money back in
his pocket. “Why won’t you leave me alone? I’m tired of you
following me around town, like a stalker or something.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, kid, but I was in
here first. And I’d be a little nicer to me if I were you. I just
saved you from getting hauled off to jail.”

Max rolled his eyes and started toward the
door. “Whatever.”

Caleb grabbed his arm. “No, not whatever. I’m
taking you home, let’s go.” Once they were outside, Caleb said,
“Christ, don’t you care about your mother at all?”

“It’s none of your business how I feel,” Max
muttered, trying to wrench his arm free.

Caleb opened the passenger-side door and
shoved Max in the truck. “Don’t forget your seat belt.”

“Why?” Max shot back. “If I die, you won’t
have to worry about me getting in your way with my mom.”