by Marin Thomas
You’ll have to find a man to replace him.
No one could replace Conway, but the idea had merit. If she had a boyfriend by the time she graduated, then when Conway quit babysitting, the twins wouldn’t feel his loss as deeply.
Conway turned into a neighborhood and parked at the end of a block. “This is a good place to start.” After they got out of the truck, he said, “You guys stick together. Don’t walk off by yourself.”
As they followed the boys, Isi whispered, “You’d better be careful, you’re sounding like a father.”
“Sorry, that slipped out.”
“No need to apologize. You’ve been watching the boys almost a month. It’s only natural for you to take charge.” And surprisingly it didn’t bother Isi that he took the lead with her sons. After four years of having sole responsibility for the twins, she enjoyed the brief respite.
Isi and Conway waited on the sidewalk as Miguel and Javier walked up to the first door. “Don’t forget to say thank you,” she called after them.
Miguel rang the bell and they hollered, “Trick-or-treat!” After receiving their candy they shouted a thank-you then cut across the lawn to the next house.
“The weather’s beautiful tonight,” she said, feeling nervous as she walked beside Conway.
“You can’t beat southern Arizona in the fall.” Conway set his hand against her lower back and guided her through a crowd of kids. They continued walking, but he didn’t remove his hand, and Isi’s pulsed raced as the skin beneath his touch warmed.
“You look hot in your sheriff’s getup,” he whispered in her ear.
“I bet you say that to all the ladies.” She forced a smile. “Speaking of ladies...we haven’t talked about your latest ‘the one.’”
“Who’s that?”
She shrugged. “I assumed you’d found a new woman.”
“Between watching the boys and working on the farm I haven’t had time to date.”
They strolled to the next house in silence, Isi lost in thought. She’d been so relieved when Conway had volunteered to take care of the boys while she finished out the semester that she hadn’t given a thought to how it would affect his personal life. “I’ll keep searching for a permanent sitter.”
“Why?”
“Because you said you don’t have any time to yourself.”
“Neither do you.”
“I’m not supposed to. I’m a single mother.”
“Mom!” Javier raced toward her, holding out his bag. “The lady gave us a giant candy bar.”
“She sure did.” Isi waved at the woman. “Did you thank her?”
“Yep.” Miguel pointed to the house at the end of street where a large crowd of kids gathered. “She said that man gives out lot of treats to kids who don’t get scared and run away.”
“It’s a haunted house,” Isi said.
Miguel tugged his brother’s arm. “C’mon, Javi.”
The boys ran off and Isi and Conway both called, “Stay together!”
“We’d better catch up.” Conway took Isi’s hand and they walked fast, keeping the boys in sight.
“This guy went all out,” Conway said.
Ghosts hung from tree branches. Skulls and skeletal hands stuck out of the ground next to tombstones. The dark porch was filled with cobwebs and scary music blasted from an open window. The front door had been covered in white butcher paper with the words Keep Out painted in red.
The boys were at the back of the line, so Isi settled in for a long wait. “You’ve more than made up for Bridget punching me in the nose, Conway. There’s no reason your love life should suffer any longer.”
The heat in his eyes burned the side of her neck. “Is that all you think I care about—having sex?”
The group of women standing nearby stopped talking. Isi lowered her voice. “C’mon, Conway. It’s me, Isi, you’re talking to. Finding ‘the one’ has been your main preoccupation since we met two years ago.”
“Hey, a guy’s entitled to take a break from romance every now and then.”
She snorted.
“I’m not a stud machine who can switch on and off, you know.”
“I’m still going to try to find a sitter.”
They stood for a few more minutes, watching the fray of kids then Conway stiffened next to her. “I see Miguel, but where’s Javier?” He didn’t wait for Isi to respond before charging up the sidewalk. “Javi?” he shouted.
Miguel raced toward Conway.
“Where’s Javi, Mig?” Isi asked when she caught up.
“He was next to me when the man gave us candy.”
“Did he go inside the house, Miguel?” Conway asked.
“No, the man didn’t open the door.”
Conway noticed a hand poked through the hole in the paper that covered the door and dropped candy into the waiting bags.” He glanced down the block. “I’ll follow that group. You two stay here in case Javier comes back.”
Heart racing, Conway caught up to the mass of goblins and fairies. One by one he surveyed the kids’ costumes but didn’t see a Green Lantern in the group. Panic squeezed his gut. Javier had most likely gotten swallowed up by a wave of kids as they passed by him.
Where are you, Javi?
If Conway hadn’t suggested trick-or-treating in a larger neighborhood, the boy wouldn’t have gotten lost. He reached the end of the block then called Javier’s name.
“Excuse me. Did you lose your child?” A woman pushing a stroller approached Conway.
“Yes, ma’am. He’s wearing a green superhero costume. Have you seen him?”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t.” She motioned to a crowd up the block. “That’s our church group. We’ll keep an eye out for him.”
“Thanks. His name’s Javier.” Conway jogged ahead of the group and caught the next crowd. “Has anyone seen a kid wearing a Green Lantern costume?”
The children shook their heads and Conway’s chest felt as though it would explode from fear. There was no way Javier could have walked much farther. When he turned the next corner, he spotted a woman standing on a front lawn, holding Javier’s hand.
Thank God. He hurried toward them. When Javier noticed him, he raced to Conway.
Weak with relief Conway dropped to one knee on the sidewalk and hugged the boy. “I’m glad you’re okay, buddy.”
“I told him that his mother or father would find him.” The lady held the hand of a ballerina in a pink tutu.
“Thank you for watching out for him,” Conway said.
“Stay by your father now.” The lady smiled then walked off with her daughter.
Conway was so relieved he’d found Javier unharmed that he didn’t care if the woman thought they were father and son. “Why did you leave your brother?”
Javier squeezed Conway’s neck and sobbed.
“Whoa, buddy. You’re safe now.”
“I didn’t run off.” Javier’s chest shuddered when he took a deep breath. “Mig left me.”
“Mig didn’t leave you, Javi. He’s still back at the haunted house.”
“I couldn’t see him.”
“It’s all right. All that matters is you’re safe. Let’s find your mom.” Instead of holding Javier’s hand, Conway scooped him off the ground and carried him. As his heart rate slowed, his thoughts raced. The boy had been lucky tonight—he could have been abducted by a crazy pedophile. Losing track of Javier was more proof that Conway wasn’t meant to be a father. He just couldn’t handle the responsibility or worry that came with keeping kids safe.
As he drew closer to the haunted house, Isi hurried toward them. “Javi, where were you?”
Conway set the boy on the ground and Javi shoved Miguel. “You left me!”
“No, I didn’t!” Miguel p
ushed Javier back and the boys tumbled to the ground.
Conway snagged the backs of their costumes, holding them apart while their tiny fists pummeled the air.
“Stop right now or we go home,” Isi said.
“You left me,” Miguel said.
“Did not!”
“Did, too!”
“We’re done for the night.” Isi took Javier’s hand and motioned for Conway to hold Miguel’s, but the kid crossed his arms over his chest and marched off behind his mother and brother.
Conway followed. After a block Miguel whispered, “I didn’t leave, Javi.”
“It’s easy to lose track of each other in a crowd,” Conway said.
“It’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” Conway slowed his steps so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by Isi and Javier.
“Mom always makes me take care of Javi.”
Conway felt bad for Miguel. He had to find a way to salvage the night. Halloween came once a year and he hated for the boys to go home mad at each other with only a handful of candy in their bags.
When they reached the truck, the twins hopped in back, refusing to speak to each other. Conway pulled away from the curb and said, “I’ve got an idea.”
“What’s that?” Isi asked.
“Have the boys ever been to a drive-in theater?”
“What’s a drive-in theater?” Miguel asked.
“A place you can watch movies in your car.” Conway shrugged. “We could see what’s playing?”
“But a movie rewards them for being naughty,” Isi said.
“Maybe you could put off their punishment until tomorrow?” Conway pointed to the boys. “They look so sad.”
Isi almost laughed when her sons’ mouths pouted and they batted their eyelashes at her. “If we go to the movie that means no TV tomorrow. Understood?”
The twins nodded.
By the time Conway backed into a parking spot at the rear of the drive-in the second movie was beginning—Invasion of the Spiders. He helped the boys out of their booster seats then lifted them into the truck bed.
“I can’t hear anything,” Miguel complained.
Conway turned on the outdoor speakers.
“Cool,” Miguel said.
“Yeah, cool.” Javier smiled at his brother and the boys were back to being best friends.
“Who wants popcorn?” Conway asked.
The twins raised their hands.
“What kind of sodas?” Conway asked Isi.
“No soda. They can share a bottle of water.”
Conway left to buy the snacks, and when he returned the twins were lying down and Isi leaned against the cab at the back of the truck bed. He crawled over the boys and joined Isi. They shared a bag of popcorn in silence. It wasn’t long before her sons dozed off, and Conway watched Isi instead of the movie. Without thinking, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’ve never been to a drive-in,” she said.
“Really?”
“I’m guessing you’ve broken your fair share of hearts in the back row.”
“You’d guess wrong. You’re the first woman I’ve been with at a drive-in.”
“No way.”
“Yes way. I’ve been here twice with my brothers when we were younger and once with Dixie after she coerced me into taking her and a group of her junior high friends.”
“I’m your first official drive-in date?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You were always the one who did most of the talking in our relationship,” Isi said. “Now I need your advice.”
“Sure.”
“After my experience with Tyler, I’ve avoided dating, believing I was better off raising the boys on my own.”
“I sense a but coming,” he said.
“But seeing how happy Javi and Mig are after they spend time with you...” She took a deep breath. “Do I need to get out there and start dating again?”
Conway felt a stitch in his side and winced. “It doesn’t matter what I think. You have to do what’s best for you and the boys.”
“What if I date a guy I like, but the boys don’t like him? That could be a disaster. Maybe I should focus on finding a man who wants to be friends but enjoys being with the boys.”
“You know what?” Conway said. “You’re nothing like the women I date.”
She laughed. “You just figured that out?”
“Seriously. The women I end up with only think about themselves. You think about the boys.”
“I’m their mother, Conway. The boys will always come first.”
“I understand you wanting the best for Mig and Javi, but what if after a while the guy wants more than friendship from you?”
“That would be great,” she said, surprising Conway. “I’m only telling you this because we’re friends and you won’t blab to anyone.” She leaned closer. “I haven’t had sex since I got pregnant with the boys.”
Wow.
“I’m in a four-year drought and right now sex with a guy friend seems mighty appealing.”
Conway couldn’t shake the image of a faceless man stripping Isi of her clothes.
“It’s time I find a man who’ll be good for the boys and for me.”
Conway didn’t think that was a smart idea at all. “You’re the boss,” he said, reluctantly.
“What do you mean?”
He tapped the plastic star on her shirt. “You’re in charge.”
“You’re right. A sheriff calls the shots.” She smiled. “It’s not like I haven’t had offers.” She’d been hit on at the bar a number of times. The heat radiating off Conway’s body interfered with her concentration. She scooted over until his bare thigh no longer brushed against her leg.
“Aren’t you concerned about how the twins will react if you bring home a boyfriend?” Conway asked.
“Not anymore.”
“What changed your mind?”
“You.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“The boys love being with you. It’s obvious they’re starved for male attention.”
“Whatever guy you date isn’t going to be me.”
She punched him playfully in the arm. “You’re full of yourself.”
“Hey, I’m being honest.”
“I’m guessing the boys will measure any man I date against you and find him lacking, but you’re not going to be here forever.” She snapped her fingers. “Maybe I should date behind the boys’ backs until I find the right man to introduce to them to.”
“That’s a good idea.” Conway grinned despite his reservations. “I wouldn’t want your new man to jeopardize my rock-star status with Javi and Mig.”
Chapter Seven
The first week of November was drawing to a close. Conway stood in the pecan orchard and peered into the canopy of a tree.
“What are we looking for?” Javier asked.
“I’m not sure.” Conway had followed his grandfather through the groves many times and every few trees he’d stop and study the leafy branches—as if he sensed which ones would yield the most nuts. Conway checked over his shoulder, making sure Miguel remained in sight. That kid was definitely not a farmer. He couldn’t stand or sit still for more than a few minutes, unlike Javier who had the patience of Job and did whatever Conway asked of him.
“What do you think, Javi? Is this tree going to drop a lot of nuts when I bring the shaker machine through?”
“I don’t see any nuts.”
Conway lifted the boy above his head. “Grab hold of that branch and climb up.”
“Me, too!” Miguel raced toward Conway.
Once Javier had settled on a limb, Conway said, “
Don’t fall.” The last thing he wanted to do was call Isi and tell her that one of the boys had broken an arm or leg.
Miguel impatiently hopped up and down, waiting his turn. Conway hoisted him into the tree. “Pick a branch and count the nuts on it.”
The boys called out different numbers. After a few seconds, they counted in unison. Javier stumbled at fifty, but Miguel corrected him and they continued until they reached a hundred.
“There’s got to be more than a hundred nuts on that branch,” Conway said. The boys ignored him and started a pecan war.
“Hey!” Conway said when he felt a nut ping his head.
The boys giggled as they bombarded each other. Conway scooped a fistful of nuts off the ground and joined the battle. The twins combined forces against Conway and he shouted, “No throwing at the face!” As soon as he turned his back to gather more ammunition, the boys pelted his butt with nuts. “You’ll pay for that.”
“Who are you talking to?” Isi walked toward Conway, her gaze scanning the trees.
“Where’d you come from?” Conway couldn’t stop staring at her tight-fitting jeans—the ones that hugged her fanny to perfection and sported tiny tears in the thighs.
“My class was canceled.” She shrugged. “So I drove out here to see my favorite guys before I go to work.” The warmth in her brown eyes convinced Conway that he was included in Isi’s group of favorite guys.
“Where are the boys?” She stopped next to him.
“Up here.” Miguel poked his head through the branches.
Isi moved closer but froze when a pecan flew past her face. “Miguel! You better not throw any nuts at me, young man.”
The boys scrambled to a lower branch and Conway lifted them out of the tree and set them on the ground.
Isi threw a pecan at Miguel, hitting him in the chest then she tossed a nut at Javier. “Got you both.”
Miguel collected ammunition from the ground and Conway handed the nuts he’d collected to Javier.
“No fair.” Isi ran off, dodging pecans as the boys chased her through the trees.
“Don’t let her get away!” Conway jogged after the group.
The boys’ laughter and Isi’s squeals filled the groves, reminding Conway of days gone by when he and his siblings had played tag in the orchard. It wasn’t long before the twins ran out of gas and stopped, their chests heaving as they sucked in air. Isi bent at the waist, gasping for breath.