He laughed too. “None taken.” All of a sudden there was flash of light in the direction of J.J.’s house. He squinted to get a better look and saw the side of the house illuminated with images of them as kids. “Is that a movie playing?”
“Yep. Looks like J.J.’s feeling restless too. He does midnight showings of the old home movies for the boys sometimes.”
There was someone running toward them dressed in jogging gear with reflective strips that flashed in the dark. As the person got closer, he realized it was Seth.
“Hey, boys.” Seth slowed a little but didn’t stop. “Hey, Owen. Can’t sleep again?”
“Uncle Seth go zoom!” Owen laughed.
“I’m trying.” He waved at his nephew as he passed the car. “If you boys are hungry, Ty is grilling up some steaks. Michelle got a craving for rib-eye.”
“Thanks for the heads-up. If Owen doesn’t nod off in the next twenty minutes, we’ll stop by.”
Seth nodded as he ran on down the road.
Channing scratched at his beard and stared after him. “Seth jogs at night?”
“Yeah, when he’s stressing about the Tomcats. He says it clears his head.”
“When did this ranch become so lively at night? Does anyone get a normal night’s sleep?”
“On a cool night you might find Mama and Daddy having hot tub parties with Bo and Bonnie.”
“And I thought my home being invaded was the most surprising thing happening tonight on the ranch.” He shook his head and leaned back in his seat. “Now that we’re trying, I had this whole special evening planned with Cassie. But if we have indefinite houseguests, I feel like we’re going to get off-track.”
“I seriously doubt anything is going to stop you from making love to your wife,” Tate mused.
“I’m serious,” Channing said, frowning. “I wanted everything to be perfect. She’s already leery about our chances of conceiving, but she’s willing to go through the process anyway. Now this happens.”
“Give it some time.” Tate pointed at Owen. “Before you know it, you’ll be driving around a willful little one trying to convince him he’s not some kind of nocturnal creature. Until then, you can help out this young mother and her boy.”
Channing glanced into the back. Owen was out cold. “It worked.”
“Every time,” Tate replied with a grin.
After Tate dropped him off, Channing was finally ready for bed. He’d come back into the house, undressed, and got back into bed with Cassie. As she instinctively cuddled up next to him, he felt better about the events of the night. The family motto was to help others, and he shouldn’t do less because he wasn’t sure of Joy’s motives. What was imperative now was doing what was best for Isaiah. And that meant keeping him here where he was safe. Even so, he still couldn’t help buy worry what it would mean for their plans to start a family.
CHAPTER SIX
Cassidy woke the next morning to find the bed empty. She got up and peeked into the bathroom, but Channing wasn’t there. She slipped on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and opened the bedroom door. The delicious smell of bacon and coffee brewing hit her. Someone had breakfast underway. She was surprised when she went downstairs and into kitchen to find Channing at the stove and Joy and Isaiah sitting at the table filled with various breakfast foods. Joy was dressed in her coffeehouse uniform, but Cassidy noticed the tote bag next to her had more clothes stuffed into it.
“Whoa.” She smiled and snagged a piece of bacon off the plate. “What’s the occasion?”
“Isaiah came into the kitchen and asked for a bowl of cereal. I asked him if he’d prefer anything with more sustenance like a bowl of hot grits, bacon, pancakes, and eggs.”
“Red didn’t have to go through the trouble. We don’t eat like that.” Joy sipped her coffee.
“A growing boy needs a good meal to start his day.” Channing smiled at Isaiah as he put pancakes on his plate. “You want some syrup with that, bud?”
Isaiah nodded enthusiastically.
“I’ll get it.” Cassidy reached into the cupboard and retrieved the syrup bottle. She was happy that Channing’s worried scowl from last night had disappeared, but he still didn’t seem at ease.
“I’ll be leaving for work in a few minutes. Scooter had his bath, and I helped him make his bed. Just give him the video game or let him watch television. He won’t be much trouble.” Joy stood and snagged her tote bag.
“I think we can come up with something better than that.” Cassidy turned on the kettle shaped like a cow to make a cup of tea. “My niece and nephews are at an event today, but they’ll be around tomorrow. In the meantime, Isaiah can play out in the yard or we can go for a walk around the grounds. Does he have any homework?”
Joy gave her an incredulous look. “He’s four.”
“They give out homework to four year olds at my nephews’ school.”
“No, no homework. Like I said, he won’t be a problem. I need the keys to the vehicle you said you’d lend me.”
Cassidy watched as Channing did a slow death march over to the key rack attached to the wall. She knew he loved that pickup, it was his first car after all. But the fact that he’d shared kisses with Emma Winterbourne in it didn’t exactly elicit the same nostalgia from her.
He held the keys up. “She’s sensitive, so try not to step on the gas like you’re in the Indy 500. It runs well and only needs regular gas. Try not to park her too close to other cars. I don’t want any scratches on her. And—”
“Got it!” Joy snatched the keys and headed for the door.
“I have someone coming over to take a look at your car,” Channing added.
“Tell them good luck. Unless they’re a magician and a mechanic, I don’t know what else can be done.”
“We’ll pray he can make the intermittent black smoke cloud that shoots out from the muffler go away.” Cassidy moved closer to him and leaned against the counter. “Who did you find?”
But before he could tell her, there was a knock at the back door. Channing opened it. Cassidy was surprised to find Rusty, the bartender from the Bright Star, standing there. The Blakes had finally forgiven him for serving Avery those tequila shots the night of her birthday, which led to the fight that got her arrested. Despite his faux pas that night, he was a sweet guy. He was handsome, funny, and happy-go-lucky. He and Wyatt had been hanging out a lot lately and were becoming friends. He was a good bartender, although Cal yelled at him for giving away too much liquor. Rusty was a throwback to that hunky cowboy that people wrote books about. She’d imagined that if they were in old Western times, he’d be the faithful companion who never left a friend in a fight. Cassidy could see the jaw-breaking smile form on Joy’s face. Apparently she thought Rusty was handsome too.
Rusty grinned and touched the brim of his hat. “Morning, everybody.”
“Thanks for coming, Rusty.” Channing ushered him into the kitchen.
“I take it the white car outside needs to be looked at?” Rusty removed his hat as he entered.
“You got it. You might want to stand back when you turn it on and wear a gas mask.”
“Rusty,” Cassidy said, sweeping an arm at all the food. “Have some breakfast? There’s plenty.”
“I’d love some bacon and flapjacks.” He rubbed his six-pack.
“Have a seat. I’ll get you some orange juice.”
“Hi, I’m Joy.” Joy extended her handed and smiled even harder. “That piece of crap out there is mine.”
“Well, how do you do, Joy.” He shook her hand. “I’ll do my best to bring it back to life.”
“Yes. Joy needs it to get around with her son, Isaiah.” Channing moved between them and motioned to Isaiah.
“Hey, little man.” Rusty smiled at Isaiah, who waved hello but continued eating his pancakes.
Cassidy knew Joy would be late for her shift if she didn’t get going. Too bad she was too busy drooling over Rusty.
“Joy.” Cassidy coughed. “You’re going t
o be late for work. I’ll walk you out.”
“But, I have a few minutes.” Joy remained rooted to the kitchen floor.
“No, you don’t. The highway traffic around here is tricky on the weekend.” Cassidy narrowed her eyes.
“OK. OK. Scoot…” She kissed Isaiah on the head. “Be good.”
“I will, Mom.”
Cassidy walked her out of the house and over to Channing’s truck, which he’d pulled out of the garage for her. “My husband’s really attached to this truck. Just take it easy.”
“I will, but you both have expensive cars. Why does he care about this beat-up old clunker?”
“It’s more about what it represented in his life. It was his first automobile. Kind of like a rite of passage.”
“Oh.” Joy opened the door and threw her bags on the seat. She looked at Cassidy for a while. “Are you sure the babysitting is OK? You don’t have any kids. He may be too much for you.”
She could see the look of concern on Joy’s face. Joy didn’t know them and she was leaving her child with them in a strange place. That took a lot of trust.
“I know our getting acquainted phase has been accelerated, but I want you to know Isaiah’s in good hands. I am the happy aunt with a bunch of nieces and nephews. Most of them live here on the ranch. You can see that the house is child-proofed and we’ll make sure he’s fed.”
Joy’s face softened a bit. “You and Red seem like nice people. Maybe a little too nice. Who takes a stranger and their child into their home while they’re helping them with a custody issue?”
It was exactly what a Blake would do. Helping others in their time of need was a family motto.
“Trust me, this isn’t standard operating procedure for me either. When I bring work home, it’s usually in my briefcase. But I promise I will take good care of him. Before you know it, we’ll have this all worked out and you can breathe again.” She smiled.
Joy nodded. “Scooter is a great kid. He won’t be any trouble, but if you need me, just call me on my cell phone.”
“I will.”
Joy got into the truck and turned it on. The old thing purred like a kitten. She rolled down the window. “So, Rusty. What’s his situation?”
Cassidy folded her arms over her chest. “Think of Rusty as Blake County property.”
“Ah, man.” Joy frowned. “You mean I can’t even flirt with that hunk of country goodness in there?”
“Focus, Joy. First we have to get your domestic situation resolved before you jump back into the dating pool. Besides, I think Rusty’s too tame for you. He doesn’t have a record.”
“There’s always hope.” Joy winked and drove off.
“She’s going to wreck my baby. I just know it,” Channing murmured from the doorway.
She rolled her eyes. “Your truck will be fine. And I’ll try not to take offense that you refer to your truck as your baby.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I totally get it. You had fond memories of Emma Winterbourne in that truck that you’d like to preserve.”
“We’ve made a few good memories of our own.” He went over and put his arms around her waist and kissed her.
She giggled. “I don’t know what it is with you and car sex.”
“I like being in close quarters with you.” He nuzzled her neck.
“I see you had a busy morning. Thanks for making breakfast and asking Rusty to take a look at Joy’s car.”
“That thing needs to be scrapped.”
“Maybe, but we’re not Joy. We have the means to easily replace things that break down without giving it a second thought.”
“I know.”
“What are your plans today?” She looked into his eyes.
“I’m going to help Rusty with the car. I figure he could use a hand and that would help Joy get her car back on the road faster.”
“And out of your precious truck?”
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone.” He grinned.
She was hoping he’d say he’d spend the day with her and Isaiah. Together they could ease the transition of all the sudden changes in the boy’s life. But he was right. Getting Joy’s car up and running was a priority. At least he was sticking around. She’d been pretty sure he’d bolt down to the stables. Rusty came out of the house with Isaiah in tow. Both had that sleepy look from eating too much.
“Breakfast was delicious. I’ll have to make you one of my world-famous frittatas some time to return the favor.” Rusty stretched. “I guess it’s time to get to work.”
“I’ll help,” Channing said.
“You, help?” Rusty raised an eyebrow.
“I used to make repairs on my old truck all the time.” Channing huffed and headed over to the car in question. He pulled the release lever to open the hood.
“Sweet. Free labor.” Rusty jerked his arm back against his chest in a half fist pump. “I’ll get the car ramps out of my truck. We can pull her into your garage.”
Cassidy turned to Isaiah. “OK, young man. What would you like to do today? We can play some board games or draw. I have tons of arts supplies around the house. Or we could get some fresh air and go for a walk. I have tons of sports equipment in the tool shed. Maybe later we can go down to the stables and see the horses.”
Isaiah was barely paying attention. He was too busy eyeing the tools Channing and Rusty had laid out. They had opened the hood and were leaning over the engine, assessing the wiring. She touched his shoulder.
“What do you say kiddo? We can do something fun until lunch time.”
“Can I stay?”
Channing’s head popped up from under the hood.
Cassidy frowned. “Out here? It’s going to take some time for the guys to get the car working. Wouldn’t you rather do something more exciting?”
“I like cars. I can help.”
Channing came over. “Rusty, looks like we have another helper.”
“The more the merrier,” Rusty said as he checked the distributor cap.
“You have to promise to listen and keep a safe distance from the car. There’s nothing wrong with being curious, but I want you to be safe.”
“OK.” Isaiah nodded.
Cassidy looked on as Channing got a stepstool for Isaiah to sit on and placed it a safe distance away from the car. She’d had all these exciting things planned and all Isaiah wanted to do was sit and watch the guys fix the car. She couldn’t help a smile as she shook her head and went inside the house. She began clearing the table so she could try to get some work done.
Joy’s history was still a mystery to her, and she wanted to know more. She’d compiled an assessment based on the child protective services and police reports but none noted why she was estranged from her family. And that bothered her. Joy was vague about why she didn’t keep in contact with them, and Cassidy wanted to know what had happened. True, she’d managed to get the hearing moved, citing that she had to get acquainted with the case, but now the eviction happened. That wasn’t going to bode well for Joy if the court found out she didn’t have a safe place for Isaiah to live. And let’s face it, that neighborhood didn’t scream safety.
She moved on toward the laundry room to see the clothes had been removed from the machines and neatly piled up. Now that everything had been cleaned, she noticed there weren’t a lot of things there. There were some uniform shirts for Joy and a couple of T-shirts you shouldn’t wear in front of a child. Isaiah’s pile was small too. She picked up a pair of his jeans. They’d seen better days. She blinked rapidly, trying not to cry. Kids needed clothes. She’d have a talk with Joy about getting him some more things.
Her cell phone rang. She looked at the display. It was her mom.
“Hi, Mom.” She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder and refolded his jeans and headed upstairs with the basket.
“Hi, Cassie. What’s going on?”
“Nothing much. Typical Saturday. I have some work to review and a few errands to run.” S
he wasn’t about to tell her mother about everything that was going on in the house. One lecture from her husband was enough for the weekend.
“Shouldn’t you and Channing be in bed trying to make a baby?”
“Mom!” She put the clothes basket in Joy’s room.
“What?”
She closed the door and went back down the stairs to the study. “Much as I’d like to, I can’t make babies twenty-four seven.” She decided to change the subject. “How’s everyone? Is dad going to flip that old Victorian house with Julian? Did Dahlia get re-elected president of that snooty social club she belongs to? Is Megan showing any signs of getting back to normal?”
There, any of those should work.
“Wow. You’re actually up-to-date on the family’s current affairs.”
“I read the family posts.” She had been making more of an effort to be part of the Shaw family. Which meant combing through dull postings about everyday things on social media.
“Dad and Julian are still negotiating budgets. Dahlia believes she has the re-election in her pocket, and Megan’s been spending more time at home. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“She’ll come out of that funk one of these days.” She sat at the desk. She pulled Joy’s file out of the briefcase and leafed through it, then put it back as an idea hit her. She needed some answers and she knew just who to ask to investigate for her. “Mom, I have to go. There’s work I have to do.”
“OK. Well, you and Channing get on that very important project. Work will always be there.”
“We will keep that in mind.”
“Love you, Butter Bean.”
Cassidy stopped herself from disconnecting the call. “What did you say?”
“I called you Butter Bean. I used to call you that when you were little.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“That’s because I blurted it out after you’d won that science fair ribbon and you said I embarrassed you and told me never to call you that again.”
She let out a dry laugh. Butter Bean. She thought it was funny yet cute that Isabelle’s dad still called her Peanut. And Seth called Mackenzie Sweet Pea. Turns out she’d had a childhood nickname too. There was so much about being a kid that she’d blocked out. She just remembered wanting to be away from all of them. “Sounds like something I would say.”
Leap of Faith (The Blake Boys Book 17) Page 9