by Carrie Elks
Cam blinked, because he hadn’t expected to see his younger brother here. But then realization passed over him. Tanner owned a lot of property in Hartson’s Creek – no doubt this house was one of his.
“Why didn’t Brian tell me this was your place?” Cam asked, more to himself than his brother.
“No idea.” Tanner shrugged. “Maybe he thought you’d try to haggle me out of money. Come inside, let me show you around.”
The inside of the house was just as beautiful and sleek as the outside. “This place was only built a year ago,” Tanner told him, as he took him into the kitchen. “You see that view?” he asked, pointing out of the window at the creek. The water glistened in the sun as it bubbled and flowed toward the river. On the other side was a copse of mature trees, their leaves green now, but no doubt they would turn gold and red in a few weeks. “Isn’t it something?”
“Yeah,” Cam agreed. “It’s something.
Cam stared out of the window for a moment, letting the peace soak into his skin. This was what he’d come home for, after all. A chance to relax, to think. To work out what the hell he was going to do with his life. Yet the creek was giving him no answers at all.
“You okay?” Tanner asked him. “All this stuff happening. It must have hit you hard. I know when I moved back here, after selling my business in New York, it took some getting used to.”
“I’d forgotten how quiet it is here.”
“You’ve visited enough. You must remember.”
Cam winced at the mention of his memory. He worried that it was permanently affected. “Yeah, but I’m always surrounded by you guys. And in Boston I’m always at work, with the rest of the team, or watching plays. There’s not a lot of time for silence.”
“If you stay here for a while, you’ll have more than enough of it.” Tanner opened a cupboard door, showing him the inside. “Brian sent all your kitchen equipment down. Well actually, he sent everything he couldn’t rent for you down. It’s all been unpacked by the movers. So you can settle in and relax. And you know where I am if anything goes wrong.”
“Do you give this treatment to all your renters?” Cam asked him, grinning.
“Nope. Just family.” Tanner hit him on the shoulder and winced at the hardness of his muscles. “It’s good to have you home, man.”
“Just for a while,” Cam reminded him.
“Yeah,” Tanner agreed. “Just for a while.”
He was lucky to have such a nice place to stay while he thought about his next move. And it was good to see his youngest brother, too.
But now Tanner was back at work – as were all of Cam’s brothers – and he was bouncing off the walls like a damn pinball. This thinking game was making him crazy.
Grabbing his keys, Cam walked out of the house and looked at his car parked in the driveway.
Of all the things he owned, the Audi coupe was the one thing that made him happy. Like most of his teammates, he’d always been a motorhead. Their cars were the one things they had control over. Their little oasis of calm in the craziness of NFL life. It was where they’d sit and think about plays they should have made, arguments they’d had with girlfriends or wives, or where they’d switch on their top-of-the range stereos and blast out their music to chase the thoughts from their minds.
Cam had bought this car as a gift to himself when he’d signed his latest contract. Sure, he’d been offered a discount, but it had still cost him more than he’d ever spent on a car before. But damn, he loved it.
Running his hands over the metallic blue exterior, Cam opened the driver’s door and climbed in. He’d never get tired of the cream leather upholstery and blue detailing that matched the paint. If you asked, he could tell you that it went from zero to sixty in three point eight seconds, and on a private open road, it could hit speeds of two hundred miles per hour.
And yeah, he’d tested that out.
Placing the Audi into comfort mode, Cam pulled out of his driveway and took a left, heading toward the main road through town. It was four in the evening, and though the sun was moving lower in the sky, a hint of summer still clung in the warmth of the air. Rather than put the air on, he opened the windows, smiling as that old familiar smell of harvests and corn filled his senses.
He hadn’t even made it to the town square when he’d spotted some kids playing in the street, but hadn’t really thought about it. His radio was on, tuned to a local country station, and everything felt right with the world.
Until something came crashing against the side of his car.
His first instinct was to hit the brakes hard. The Audi came to a jolting stop, forcing his head forward and down until his brow almost grazed the wheel. His heart started to thud against his chest as he lifted his gaze and tried to work out what the hell he’d just hit.
“Shit! Let’s get out of here,” a low voice shouted.
“Mikey, wait up. I can’t run that fast.”
The two kids he’d spotted were like a blur as they ran up the road. Cam climbed out of his car and saw exactly what had hit the side of his car. A damn football, of all things.
“Hey, you two!” he shouted at the running kids. “Come here!”
But they kept running. Cam felt a flash of anger rush through him, because he’d been brought up better than to cause damage and run away. Scooping up the ball in his right hand, he took off after the two boys, one almost grown, the other coming up to his chest if he was lucky.
It was the first time he’d run flat out in two weeks, and his lungs were shockingly unprepared. His breath came in short pants as he rounded the corner and saw the two boys running up some steps. The eldest made the mistake of turning, his eyes widening as he spotted Cam barreling toward them.
“Wait up, you little shits!” A fresh rush of fury washed through Cam. Not just because of the car, though that was more than enough. It was about his damn injury. His career. The whole reason he’d driven down to Hartson’s Creek. It made him see mists of red when he should have kept calm.
“Get over here,” he shouted from the lawn of a blue-painted house. “Did you see what you’ve done?”
The eldest boy put his hands up. “I’m sorry. We were playing. I didn’t mean to hit your car.”
The younger boy looked petrified. “Mikey, I’m the one who hit the car.”
“Shut up,” the older one – Mikey – hissed. “Go inside. And don’t tell Mom.”
Before the little kid could do as he was told, the front door opened and a woman walked out, her pretty face pulled into a frown as she took in the situation in the front yard.
“Michael?” she said, looking from the boys to Cam. “What’s going on?”
“I can handle this, Mom. Take Josh inside.”
Cam blinked, because she didn’t look like a mom. Not the kind of moms he’d grown up with, anyway. The kid had to be at least fifteen, and she didn’t look much older than twenty-five. His brain might have been addled, but even he knew the math didn’t work.
“Your kids threw a ball against my car. It’s left a dent,” Cam called out to her.
The pretty mom winced and shook her head.
“You go inside,” she said to Mikey. Her eyes were dark. “Take Josh with you. I’ll deal with this.”
“But, Mom—”
She lifted her hand. “Don’t sass me, Michael. Go in right now.”
So she didn’t look like a mom, but she sure sounded like one.
Michael glanced at Cam, his eyes wide. “Mom, that’s…” he started, pointing at Cam.
“Go inside!”
The kid recoiled and huffed, then pulled his younger brother through the door with him, slamming it hard enough for the frame to shake. Cam watched as the woman pursed her lips and blew out a mouthful of air, then slowly walked down the steps to come face to face with him.
Close up, he could see how she could be the mom of a teenage boy, though she’d still have had to have been young when she had him. Her skin was smooth, but there were a few wo
rry lines beginning to form on her brow. And though she was slim, there was an enticing curve to her hips that he was trying really hard not to look at.
“Sir,” she started, and he immediately interrupted her.
“It’s Cam.”
She blinked, but showed no sign of recognition. He assumed she wasn’t a football fan. “Cam, I apologize for my son’s behavior. And of course I’ll pay for the damage. Please let me know how much you need once you take it in for repair.”
“It’s an Audi R8 Coupe. It’s gonna cost at least ten grand to get the dent out and resprayed.”
She lifted her head up, her expression unreadable. “Send me a quote and I’ll write you a check.”
He glanced at her clothes. Tight jeans and a flowy white blouse tucked into her waistband, highlighting the svelteness of her body. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders in waves.
“You should teach your kids not to run off when they get into trouble,” he told her. “I nearly had a heart attack chasing them.”
“Do you have children, Cam?” she asked. Her voice sounded strange. As though she didn’t come from around here.
“No, Ma’am.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t comment on other peoples’ parenting. My children know to come home if there are any problems. They did exactly the right thing. They would have come to see you once they told me what happened.” She hadn’t smiled at him once. For some reason, that annoyed him. He was used to women laughing and fawning, not staring at him as though he was some kind of child chaser.
“I apologize,” he said, giving her a slow, easy smile to see if it would melt her icy exterior. But it did nothing.
“Accepted.” Her face was still impassive. “Is your car okay to drive?”
“Yeah. Just a dent in the door.”
She nodded. “Okay then. Well, I should go in. There are two young men I need to speak to.”
He bit down a smile this time, because he wouldn’t want to be in her kids’ places for all the money in the world. If she was this short with him, god only knew how scary she must be to her kids.
“Can I have your number?” he asked her.
“No.” She frowned. “That’s completely inappropriate.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “I need to send you the invoice. I wasn’t asking for a date.” Though he wouldn’t say no to that. It was crazy how much he wanted to see her smile. She was pretty enough when she was frowning, he’d bet good money she was glorious when she grinned.
A blush stole up her face. “Oh god, I’m sorry. Yes, of course. Do you want me to write it down?”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll punch it straight in.” He listened as she called out the numbers, then pressed the person icon. “Do you have a name?” he asked.
“Mia.”
“Mia?” he repeated, waiting for her surname.
“Mia,” she said again.
“Right. So your name’s Mia Mia. What are the odds on that?” he said, amused. “I guess your parents really loved the name, right?”
A ghost of a smile passed her lips and damn if that didn’t make him want to touch them. “It’s Mia Devlin.”
He gave her a full blown grin. “Okay, Mia Devlin. I guess I’ll get out of here and go back to my car. You’ll be hearing from me soon.”
“I guess I will.” She nodded. “And what’s your surname? Just so I know I’m paying the right ten thousand dollar invoice.”
“Hartson.”
Still no flash of recognition in her eyes. It was weird how he liked that she had no idea who he was. “Okay, Cam Hartson. I’ll be going in.” She turned on her heel and started to walk back up the path.
“Mia?” he called out, mostly to see what she’d do.
“Yeah?” She whipped her head around to look at him.
“Sorry I criticized your parenting. It was an asshole thing to do.”
When her smile came, it felt like the air had gotten ten degrees hotter. It filled her face, making her look younger, softer.
A hundred questions rushed into his mind. Was she married? How old was she? Did she really live in this huge old house? And did she find him as sexy as he found her?
Without thinking, he glanced at her left hand. There was no ring there. Interesting.
“Goodbye, Cam,” she said, walking back up the steps to her house, her hips swinging in a distracting way.
“Goodbye, Mia.” He grinned to himself and turned away.
Chapter Four
Mia slammed the front door behind her – a necessary gesture even when she was in a good mood, thanks to the way the wood always got stuck on the frame.
Had Mr. Gorgeous with the designer jeans and cocky smile really just told her it would cost ten thousand dollars to repair his car? She closed her eyes and swallowed down a scream, but instead of blackness she could see him there.
Tall, muscled body. Cropped dark hair. A half grin that made her insides turn into stupid, messy goo. She turned and pressed her eye to the peephole and saw him walking down the path and turn onto the sidewalk. Damn, even from the back he was impressive. Through the black fabric of his t-shirt, his muscles had been obvious. He must work out all the time.
But it had been his eyes that had made her look twice. Hazel with little flecks of green. He’d looked at her like he was trying to work her out, and failing.
Damn if she hadn’t liked it.
Just a bit.
Pressing her lips together, she stomped toward the kitchen, clearing her throat as she walked through the door.
Michael was standing at the window, his hand on Josh’s shoulder as they both turned to look at her.
“Mom!” Josh said excitedly. “Do you know who that was?”
“His name’s Cam Hartson.”
Josh’s eyes widened and he looked up at Mikey. “She does know,” he said, his voice almost reverent.
“I know because he told me,” she said, her voice clipped. “But that doesn’t matter, because right now I need you to sit down at the table and tell me exactly what happened and why I’m about to get a repair bill for ten thousand dollars.”
Ten thousand dollars she didn’t have. She rubbed her palms against her eyes and sighed.
“We were playing ball. Mikey got into the freshman team and wanted to practice,” Josh said, his voice small. “So I was throwing and he was catching. And I kind of threw it wonky.”
“It wasn’t his fault. It was mine.” Michael pulled out a chair and pointed at it, directing Josh to sit, then he’d sat down in the one next to it. “I was the one that suggested we play in the road.”
“You were playing in the road?” Mia’s voice rose up an octave. “Why the hell would you do that? You could’ve gotten hurt. That car could have run you over.”
“It was the first car we saw in an hour. There aren’t any cars around here, Mom. There aren’t many people either.” Michael shook his head. “I’m sorry. We should have gone to the park or something.”
Mia slumped down in one of the plastic chairs and leaned her forehead on her hands. “You got on the team?” she asked. She’d just come home from a shift at the Moonlight Bar when she’d heard the shouting from the front of the house. Michael had left her a note telling her that he and Josh were fine and had gone out to practice.
“Yeah.” Michael nodded. “They want me to play for the freshman team for a month, but if I’m good enough I might make JV.” His voice lifted with excitement.
A tumult of emotions rushed through her. Happiness that something had actually gone right for her son. Sadness that it had been marred by this damn stupid incident. And complete panic at how she was going to find ten thousand dollars.
She looked up at them. Michael and Josh were staring at her, their eyes wide. “We didn’t mean for it to happen,” Josh said, his lip trembling. “That man was so angry.”
“He’s an NFL player,” Michael added. “Cam Hartson. Safety for the Boston Bobcats.”
Mia looke
d up sharply. “He is? I guess that explains the expensive car.” He could probably pay for the repairs himself without blinking. But that’s not how she did things. She’d find a way to pay for them, even if it killed her.
It was a matter of pride. And right now that’s all she had left.
“Did you have a good day at school?” she asked them softly. Michael shrugged and Josh nodded.
“We had hamburgers for lunch,” Josh told her. “They were even better than in Kansas City.”
Mia smiled, despite herself. Leaning across the table, she ruffled his hair. “I’m glad it went okay. How about you go and wash up. I think I can see a bit of hamburger still on your lips.”
Josh smiled and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sure. Can I watch some TV?”
Mia nodded, her heart soft as she watched her youngest leave the kitchen.
If only Michael was as easy to keep happy.
“So school was okay?” she asked her eldest.
“Yeah.” Michael ran his finger along his bottom lip. “Mom, how are we going to pay for the repairs?”
“I’ll find the money. And you can repay me by helping Sam out around the house.”
“You don’t have the money. I’m not stupid. I know that Dad didn’t leave anything. We wouldn’t be here if we had any cash.” He looked down at the table, shaking his head. “I’m sorry I messed up. This is my fault.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Sweetheart, you’re still a kid. I know you like to think you’re an adult, but you aren’t. You don’t have to worry about how I keep a roof over our head or find money for repairs. That’s my job, not yours.”
Michael swallowed, but said nothing.
“Okay?” she prompted.
“Okay. But I’m gonna get a job. Help you out around here. You’re not alone, Mom.”
“The best you can do to help me out is to work hard at school and help out with Josh. Speaking of which, can you go and check he’s actually washed his face?”
“Yeah, sure.” Michael stood and smiled at her. His teenage mood swings would be the death of her. “Can you believe Cam Hartson was driving through this tiny town? I wonder where he’s going. He’s miles away from Boston. Though he got injured a couple of weeks ago. Maybe that has something to do with it.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, do you think he’s getting treatment around here? Is there a big hospital nearby?”