“It’s Friday. You won’t get any real answers until Monday.” Channing handed her the document. “Granted I glossed over it, but this was a long time in the making. They didn’t just decide to do this on a whim. Let’s focus on what we can do tonight. I’m sure we can get them a room at a nice hotel.”
Joy held up her hand. “That’s OK. I’m going to see if one of my friends will let me crash at their place.”
“And what happens the next night?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” Joy shrugged as she reached for a T-shirt that was on the ground.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the bridge is burning,” Cassidy snapped. “We need a longer-term solution right now.”
Joy didn’t respond, she just went off trying to accumulate her scattered possessions on the grass.
Cassidy turned to Channing and squinted. “Hotel? Did you see the way Isaiah was shaken up? I don’t want him in some strange place.”
“Babe, he won’t be at home. Every place is going to be strange to him.”
“He needs to be in a homey environment, not in a cold hotel room. No matter how nice it is. He needs to be in a loving family setting.” She hesitated, staring down at the ground as if thinking furiously. “I want to bring them home to the ranch.”
“Cassie.” He took her arm and gently pulled her a few feet away. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re getting too emotionally involved.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” She sighed. “Look, I know Joy is responsible for getting evicted, and if she were on her own, I’d let her fend for herself. But I don’t want Isaiah bouncing around with her while she figures out how to be an adult. She has the hearing coming up soon; this is definitely going to be a mark against her.”
“What the hell are you looking at?” Joy barked at a neighbor who was standing by a bench watching the scene and whispering to another person.
Isaiah looked up from his game to see what his mom was doing.
Cassidy continued quickly. “We have to get them out of here before she gets arrested for fighting.”
“But bringing them to the ranch won’t solve the long-term problems I see here.”
“I know it won’t, but I feel like I have to do this. If she’s given one more blow, I think she’ll do something stupid, like going back to bad habits.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Is she still using?”
“She says she’s been clean and she goes to narcotics anonymous meetings.” Cassidy put her arms around his waist. “Please back me up on this.”
“OK.” He sighed. “I’ll load the boxes in the trunk.”
She kissed him. “I’ll help her get the rest of her things.”
Channing turned to Isaiah, who’d returned his attention back to the game. He opened the car door. “Isaiah, what do you want to eat? We can get anything you like.”
“Burgers and fries and a vanilla shake.”
“You got it.” He smiled at the boy’s request. Isaiah had an appetite like his nephews.
Once they stuffed Joy’s belongings in their car and hers, they set off to get Isaiah that burger. He couldn’t help wondering if Joy had any illegal substances on her. The last thing he wanted was for drugs to be on the ranch and in their home. There would have to be some stern ground rules set.
They stopped at a local burger joint and got Joy and Isaiah fed. He kept the boy busy while Cassidy grilled Joy about the latest series of events. She had an excuse for everything, which didn’t surprise him. But what did surprise him was that his wife was taking it all in without ripping her a new one. Cassidy was pretty tough and wasn’t one to let a person slide when they were trying to be manipulative, but she wasn’t giving Joy the lecturing she deserved.
He managed to sneak away from the table and place a call to Sam and apprise her of the situation. No matter how dire the circumstance was, there was a background check protocol in place whenever someone visited the ranch. Sam listened attentively as he rattled off details about the situation as quickly as he could and told her that they’d be arriving home soon. His sister-in-law said she’s fast-tracked the approval to get Joy on the ranch. But she did add that she shared his concerns about Joy’s lifestyle.
They reached the house a little past nine. He helped unload the cars, but he was a little irritated about the whole unexpected situation. Now boxes were strewn about the living room and foyer. Most of Isaiah’s clothes looked like they were due for a good cleaning, so Cassidy got the washer going.
He glanced at the bags of clothes now piled up against the laundry room door. It looked like Joy hadn’t done any household chores in a while. He shook the unkind thoughts out of his head. It wasn’t fair to judge her. Right now Cassidy was just trying to get their new house guests settled. And he should have been doing the same thing too. Whether he liked the situation or not.
He scooped another load into the machine and started the dryer on the first batch of clean clothes. Isaiah came over and offered to help and even told him that his mom preferred to wash their clothes in warm water. He held back on asking if the boy washed his own things, fearing the answer would send him into a tailspin. Instead he told Isaiah he had it covered and that all the boy needed to do was get comfortable and finish playing his game.
Tonight was supposed to be special. They should have been in bed trying to make a baby, not playing late-night concierge. At least the house had already been childproofed, thanks to the kids coming and going. He went into the kitchen, got a beer out of the fridge, and assessed their food situation. He jotted down a few things on a notepad to get at the supermarket. He knew kids had favorite foods. Eating what they liked seemed to set the tone for the day and brought a comforting sense of the familiar. Isaiah had devoured the burger and fries tonight and seemed pretty happy after the meal. He only needed to do a little recon with Isaiah’s mom and then he could pick up some food and snacks that Isaiah loved.
Joy seemed oblivious that Isaiah was dog-tired and didn’t move a muscle when he finally collapsed asleep on the couch with the portable video game in his hand. Channing carried the little boy upstairs to the room where he’d be staying. He removed his shoes and pulled the cover over him. Cassidy was right, those sneakers had seen better days.
He went into his office and retrieved the contracts he’d be reviewing over the weekend, but he couldn’t concentrate. By midnight, Cassidy and Joy were still talking in the living room, but he was too wired to sleep.
Channing walked into the living room and cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but it’s getting late.”
“You’re just in time. We were just talking about ground rules.” Cassidy’s eyes darted from him to Joy.
“OK.” He took a seat on the longer couch, as Joy was sitting in his favorite armchair.
“First things first, no drugs on the premises,” Cassidy said. “I know you’ve been clean for a while and you’re going to your meetings, but because of your history, I have to say it. You’ll be randomly drug tested, and I’ll have a lab test the samples.”
Joy rolled her eyes.
“No guests,” Channing added. “Due to the high profile people who also live on the ranch, we screen everyone who visits. No exceptions. I asked the head of our security, Sam, who is also my sister-in-law, to fast-track you in here tonight.”
Joy jumped up. “So I’m a prisoner in the middle of nowhere?”
“No,” he countered. “You’re the houseguest of people who have protective screening processes in place for a good reason. There are a lot of nuts who would love to come to the ranch.”
“Well, who lives here?” Joy asked.
“This is the home of the Blake family. Seth and J.J. were professional football players. My brother Tate is a country music singer, and my brother Tyler is a race car driver.”
By the look of amazement in Joy’s eyes, he could tell she’d heard of a few of them.
>
“No shit?” She sank back down in his armchair.
“No shit. So you see the need for discretion? I don’t want you going on social media either blabbing about what’s going on here. This family is very private, and we intend to keep it that way.”
“Sure. I got it.” She held up her hand as if she were taking an oath.
“Also,” Cassidy said. “We’re all adults, so everyone will be appropriately clothed at all times. We’re not going to have any Lolita moments around here.”
“Hey, Red has a nice, preppy, male-model vibe and all, but he’s not really my type,” Joy huffed.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Cassidy said in an exaggerated tone as she wiped her brow. “It’s good to know you don’t have any plans to seduce my husband. So glad he’s not your type. As a matter of fact, no one on this ranch is your type. No, make that the entire county.”
Channing bit back a smile. Here he thought his wife was getting too soft. Even after the draining night they’d had, she’d still managed to lay down the rules for Joy with no nonsense.
“And most importantly, it’s imperative that Isaiah gets some normalcy quick. I don’t know what kind of schedule you keep, but we eat breakfast every morning and dinner no later than six thirty unless one of us has to work late.”
“That’s nice, but I do a lot of grab and go. Scooter’s used to it.” Joy shrugged.
Channing sighed. “He shouldn’t be. Maybe we can start there. Tomorrow we’ll all have breakfast and then we can give the two of you a tour around the ranch.”
“We can’t. I have a morning shift at the coffeehouse and then I’m off to the tattoo parlor.”
“You’re getting another one?” Channing blurted out.
“No. I work there part-time. It’s just a few hours here and there, but every bit counts. Especially since they pay me under the table and it’s an apprenticeship.”
“So you want to be a tattoo artist?” Cassidy bit her lip.
“I told you the day we met in your office, remember? And why not? It’s living art. No different from those stuffy paintings you have on your office walls and in this house. Check this out.” Joy stood up and pulled up the back of her T-shirt to reveal another floral-themed tat.
“Interesting.” Cassidy cleared her throat. “Now put your shirt back down.”
“And this one.” Joy rolled up her sleeve. “I did this one myself.”
“That’s actually not bad,” Cassidy replied, looking at the single flower that had Isaiah’s name spelled out on the petals.
She motioned to Cassidy. “You have any?”
“No.”
“Figures. You look way too prissy for that.” She turned to Channing. “What about you, Red?”
“That would also be a no,” he replied.
“I knew it.” She laughed. “We’re pretty far away from my old place, so I’ll have to get up early to get Isaiah to Kylie, his sitter, and I have to get my car to the mechanic.”
He knew what Cassidy was going to say, but he couldn’t find the right constructive words to ask his wife to butt out of the babysitting dilemma. But it was too late.
“OK,” Cassidy replied. “I can watch him tomorrow. In the meantime, you can borrow one of our vehicles.”
“You can borrow my truck,” Channing said. This just kept getting worse. “If it’s not too much vehicle for you.”
“Are you kidding me? I learned to drive in my dad’s pick-up.” She grinned, then immediately frowned.
“Are you working Sunday?” Cassidy asked.
“No. I have the day off. I usually sack out while Scooter watches television.”
“We have family dinner on Sundays at four at my parents’ house. If you want to go to church, mama and daddy go to the early morning service. It’s not mandatory, but anyone is welcome to join them. Everyone is expected to eat together. You can meet the whole family.”
“Great. I’ll have to say no to the religion, but I look forward to the grub.” Joy raised her fists in a half cheer. “I’m really tired though. Where can I sack out until the washing machine stops?”
“I’ll get the rest of the clothes out of the machines. Your bedroom is upstairs and down the hall to left. Right next to Isaiah’s. If you need anything, we’re three more doors down on the right.”
Joy collected her backpack. “This is a huge place for just two people. I’m surprised you don’t have any kids.”
“We’re working on it,” Channing mumbled so only Cassidy could hear. That had been their main objective this morning. He had a feeling he’d have to remind his wife of that fact in the coming weeks until Joy found new accommodations.
“Good night.” Joy walked down the hallway and toward the steps.
“I think that went well,” Cassidy said a little too enthusiastically.
He folded him arms over his chest. “If you say so.”
Cassidy came over and sat on his lap. “What’s the problem?”
“You look tired. You’ve been going non-stop since we got home. You washed clothes and got their rooms ready.”
“I’m going to go to bed with my wonderful—” she kissed him on the lips, “—and very understanding husband who, despite his misgivings, helped me get some things done.”
“Yeah, it was that or watch Isaiah do a load of laundry. How does he know how to wash his own clothes at four years old? No wonder child protective services is all over her.”
“He’s had to mature fast. Or maybe he likes to help. I don’t know. But she’s a single mom who does the best she can. Maybe while they’re staying here, we can steer Joy to start doing the adult things, and he can focus on being four.” She nipped his ear.
“That was smart, laying everything out like that…” He trailed off with a groan as she kissed his neck. She was intentionally trying to distract him, and he was too tired to debate anymore.
“There’s more to discuss, but I didn’t want to overload her the first night. We can talk about the rest of the house rules over the weekend.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He stood with her in his arms. “Let’s get you to bed. Everything else can wait until morning.”
“Thanks for this. I know this is all very sudden, but we can help Joy and Isaiah and still make a baby. We’re the best multitaskers on the planet.”
“Yes, we are.” He smiled and kissed his wife and headed upstairs to their bedroom.
* * *
No matter how hard he tried, Channing couldn’t go to sleep. The idea of strangers being in his home was more off-putting than he’d anticipated. He’d entertained visiting guests before, but for some reason, he couldn’t relax his mind enough to get some much-needed rest. Cassidy, however, was snoring like a bear. He hadn’t heard her snore that hard since the days when they’d first gotten together and she’d been sick. He could tell she’d been fighting her body’s signal to rest when that first load of clothing had gone in, but the nervous energy inside her won out.
He slipped out of bed, went into their walk-in closet, and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. He needed to clear his head. He scribbled a quick note and laid it on his pillow and kissed Cassidy on the cheek. He’d probably be back before she woke, but there was no need to worry her if she got up and found his side of the bed empty. He grabbed his keys and a jacket and headed out to the main path from his house. As he walked along the road, he could see the lights on at Tyler and Michelle’s house, which was no surprise. They forgot to turn their lights off all the time. Farther in the distance, he could see Bo and Summer’s house.
He saw a car turn down the road. It looked an awful lot like Isabelle’s Mini Cooper. As it came closer, he could see that it was her car, but Tate was driving. He slowed to a stop alongside Channing and rolled his window down. His nephew Owen was buckled into the car seat in back.
Channing put his hands on the car roof and grinned at Tate. “What on earth are you doing out this late with my nephew? Besides looking for a can opener to help you get out of
that car.” He laughed and leaned down to stick his head in the open window where Owen was sitting. “Hey, Owen.”
“Hi, Uncle C.J.!” Owen clapped.
“Wow. He’s wide-awake. What’s going on?”
“Your nephew is feeling restless tonight. The late-night rides started when Izzy was pregnant with him. Now it’s a surefire way to get him to sleep. Want to go for a ride with us?”
“Sure.”
“Get in. It must be something in the air tonight.”
“How so?” Channing said as he climbed in and buckled his seat belt.
Tate pulled back onto the road. “Word traveled around the ranch that you have houseguests. One of Cassidy’s clients and her son.”
Nothing that happened on this ranch was a secret for more than a minute.
He sank against the car door. “There’s no stopping Cassidy when she sets her mind to something. Even if I object. I don’t trust this Joy. Cassie doesn’t know anything about this girl except that she can barely take her care of her son. But making sure Isaiah was safe was the most important thing tonight.”
“I agree.”
“Am I being a jerk? You can tell me.”
“You’re concerned about your wife being taken advantage of by a client you know nothing about. That’s completely understandable. But there’s a child involved, and you can’t argue a strong case to stay out of it.”
“Yeah. Why do people have to drag their kids through their crap?”
Tate raised an eyebrow. “I’ve learned a lot over the years. You want the short or long answer?”
Channing didn’t reply right away as he sifted through his thoughts. There’d been something about Isaiah that felt familiar the minute Channing saw him. It made him think of Tate and all that he’d gone through with his biological parents. No child should be neglected or abused. He was determined not to let that happen to Isaiah either, but it wasn’t that cut and dried.
“I don’t want Cassie to get hurt.”
“Oh, the trials of being married to a strong-willed woman. Cassie has a tender heart for an attorney. No offense.” Tate laughed as he made a right turn near Seth and Morgan’s house.
Leap of Faith (The Blake Boys Book 17) Page 8