When they arrived back at the house, Zachariah and Lance were sitting on the porch swing. Lance was dressed in his soccer uniform and for the first time Tess noted that Wesley was, too. Her son had missed the Saturday afternoon game.
"I was worried when Wesley didn't show up. What's the matter?" Zachariah asked as Tess and her son mounted the steps to the porch.
"Bruce got loose and we can't find him. We've been looking for two hours. We came home to get the car."
"Where is everyone? Out looking?" Zachariah pushed off the swing and strode to Tess.
She shook her head. "Shaun's at Freddie's for the day. Katie went with Granny to see a friend."
"Then I'll help you search. Where have you been?"
"Seven blocks that a way." Tess pointed in the direction they had looked.
"That's toward the park. I'll start where you stopped and head for it. I'll call the station to see if anyone has lodged a complaint about a big dog running loose. Someone's bound to see him and hopefully has reported it." Zachariah turned to Wesley. "Don't worry. We'll get him back. You and your mom should stay here just in case Bruce returns. Lance will tell you about the game while you're waiting."
"Did we win?" Wesley asked.
Zachariah nodded.
"Please find my dog," Wesley said, a catch to his voice.
"I have some buddies who can help with the search for Bruce. I'll have him back here before dark."
"I'm the one who should be out looking," she said after the boys went inside the house. Suddenly she felt powerless--just like so many other times in her life.
"Someone should be here, Tess. Let me help you." Zachariah took her hand. "People need people. That's part of life."
"I don't have a choice in this case. If anything happened to Bruce, Wesley would be devastated. He's gone through too much in the past year. Please find him."
Zachariah lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. "See that wasn't so bad." He gave her a brief smile. "I'll be back soon with Bruce."
For the next hour Tess paced, occasionally going inside to check on the boys who were talking in Wesley's bedroom. Tension began to pound against her brow as she went from one end of the porch to the other.
She didn't call out to Wesley and Lance when she saw Zachariah turned onto the street because she was afraid he hadn't found Bruce. But the instant he pulled into the driveway, the boys shot out of the house and raced for the SUV. Relieved to see the Great Dane in the back, Tess sagged against the wooden railing while her son threw open the door and bounded inside. Thankfully Zachariah had hold of the leash or there could have been a repeat of earlier.
"You found him. You found him," Wesley yelled.
"I'd better take Bruce into the house," Zachariah said as he slid from the SUV.
As he came up the steps, Wesley was right behind him, her son's hand on the Great Dane's back. After the dog was securely in the house and taken off the leash, Wesley threw his arms around Zachariah's waist.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith. I thought I would never see him again."
"Nonsense. You can't lose a dog like Bruce."
"Where was he?" Tess asked, her throat closing at the sight of her son looking up at Zachariah with worship in his eyes.
"At the park. He gave me a merry chase. He thought I was playing with him."
"He doesn't get to run like he should." Tess watched as the boys left her and Zachariah alone in the living room, taking Bruce back to Wesley's bedroom. She wanted to call out to them to come back and chaperon her, but they would have looked at her as if she had grown a second head. She bit back her words and took several steps away from Zachariah.
"You need that fence you were talking about earlier."
"Yes, but it's just not possible right now." Her tension headache hammered against her eyes. "Excuse me. I'll be right back."
She walked into the kitchen and retrieved her bottle of rosemary essential oil. After dabbing some onto her temples, she rubbed it into her skin.
"What's that for?"
Zachariah's question startled her and she spun about to face him. "I have a headache. This helps relieve it."
"Here let me." He removed her fingers and began to massage her temples.
Her eyelids drifted closed as he worked his magic. The tension drained from her, and she didn't know if she should contribute it to the rosemary or his touch. She swayed toward him, her legs suddenly weak.
"I think I could get into this aromatherapy," he whispered, his mouth brushing across her ear. "I like this."
So did she and that was the problem. Tess forced herself to back away. "I'm fine now."
He looked disappointed but didn't say anything while she put the bottle back on the shelf where she kept her oils. She was aware of his gaze as it tracked her movements, making her hands shake. Another kind of tension gripped her as she faced him again.
He lounged against the kitchen table with his arms folded across his chest, his gaze intent upon her. "How about that fence?"
"I can't afford it. I wish I could but I can't."
"If there was a way—"
"But there isn't. End of story." Tess felt the room closing in on her as though Zachariah were stealing all the fresh air. She headed for the porch. Outside she inhaled deeply, but the sexual tautness that held her didn't recede.
"I need to pick up Emily before Nora thinks I'm lost," Zachariah said as he came out onto the porch.
"Let Lance stay. I'll bring him home after dinner." She infused her words with a stiff politeness.
"Very well," he said in an equally courteous voice as if they had never shared several kisses.
Tess refused to watch him leave, afraid all the emotions she was experiencing would be reflected on her face. She wanted him so badly and yet knew the pain that need would inflict. She would not go through that ever again, she vowed as she opened the screen door to go inside.
Chapter Seven
"Look at my son. Billy just made another goal. That's seven so far," the mother next to Tess said to her. "This is definitely a one-sided game."
Silently Tess agreed with a score of ten to zero, but she wasn't going to say anything to encourage the woman to expound on her son's soccer capabilities. Tess had already heard the child's brief, and according to his mother, exciting sporting history and could probably recite it as well as the lady.
"Now which one is your son?" the star player's mother asked.
Tess pointed to Wesley standing in the goalie box, scuffling his feet, kicking up dust around him, his gaze fixed upon something on the ground in front of him.
"Oh, yeah, that one," the woman said as though Wesley wasn't very memorable. "No wonder he's daydreaming. He's not getting much action and he probably won't."
Tess watched the "thundering herd" move as one around the field, most of the players on both teams going after the ball in a large group. Wesley and a fullback, who was picking a wildflower, were the only children holding their position. Everyone else was a forward with little Billy the most aggressive of the bunch, therefore the one who scored the most. Definitely the child took after his mother, Tess thought as the lady jumped to her feet and screamed so loud at her son that Tess was sure her hearing would never be the same.
Suddenly a player on the opposing team broke away from the pack and charged down the field toward Wesley. Tess looked toward her son and immediately swallowed her words of encouragement. Wesley was climbing on the net, his gaze now riveted on something near the top of the bar. A butterfly spread its wings and took flight.
Zachariah shouted from the sideline to get Wesley's attention. Finally he stared at the opposing player, heading straight for him. The fullback was still bent over looking at the grass. Quickly Wesley tried to untangle himself from the net and couldn't. His foot got caught in a hole.
"Can't have the goalie sleeping on the job. You should have a word with your son," Billy's mother muttered. "This will ruin our shutout."
Anger shot through Tess,
and it took all her willpower not to knock the woman off the bleachers. Instead, Tess stood, and with her breath held, watched helplessly as her son struggled to pull his foot loose. She knew she would make it worse if she ran out onto the field and helped her son free himself, but the urge was strong.
The "thundering herd" passed the parents in the stands. The lone player ahead of the swarm came toward Wesley, nearer and nearer. The fullback finally looked up and saw the mass of boys charging down the field. He ran forward to meet the opposing player and went right past him into the advancing mob. Wesley was now the only one who could stop the other team from scoring.
"Some kids shouldn't play the game," the woman next to Tess said loud enough for everyone in the bleachers to hear.
Tess balled her hands at her sides as Wesley yanked his foot out of the net and scrambled toward his position. The opposing player stopped in front of the goalie box, brought his leg back, then swung it forward, connecting squarely with the ball. It sailed through the air as Tess felt her lungs ache from holding her breath so long. Wesley jumped up and punched the ball out. A cheer erupted around Tess as she clapped and yelled.
She sat back down, her chest puffed out with pride. "Now that was a beautiful save, and we still have that all important shutout. After all, this game is paramount in the scheme of things. At this very moment there are probably college scouts out here watching for the next Pele. You just never know, so I say you should always be prepared in soccer. Or, is that the boy scouts?" Tess gathered up her purse and moved two rows down and to the left, leaving Billy's mother with her mouth hanging open.
From behind her Tess heard the woman say, "Well, I never," then huff.
The lady Tess was now sitting next to laughed. "Thank you. I've wanted to tell her off myself. I'm Jane Pennington."
"I didn't think I could take another second of listening to her son's virtues. According to her the rest of the team should just sit on the sidelines and watch him play and learn from his marvelous moves." She stuck her hand out to shake with Jane's. "I'm Tess Morgan."
She enjoyed the rest of the game with Jane next to her, but when it was over, relief blanketed Tess. This was the first time her son had played goalie. She didn't know if she liked the whole game resting on Wesley's shoulders. His ego was fragile. If he hadn't punched the ball out the time his foot got caught in the net, he would have been devastated. The next team could have more attempts on the goal, and Wesley might not be so lucky.
"Mom, did you see my save?" Wesley raced up to Tess after the coaches had talked to the team.
"Sure did. It was a beauty."
"Yeah, Mr. Smith thought so to. I'm gonna be the goalie next week. Mr. Smith thinks I'll make a great goalie."
But what was going to happen when Wesley didn't make the save? Tess remembered how he had quit doing anything competitive the past year, withdrawing further and further into his shell.
"Mr. Smith wants to work extra with me. He's gonna talk to you about it at McDonald's."
"Then we'd better get going. I see the other boys already leaving."
"Can I ride with Mr. Smith and Lance?"
"I don't think—"
"Please, Mom. Lance asked. Mr. Smith said it was okay. Please."
Her son gave her his pleading look, and she couldn't say no. She nodded, feeling abandoned for Mr. Smith's company. As she walked to the car alone, Tess thought over the past few weeks. Besides Wesley's shift in behavior she realized he was also increasingly mentioning Zachariah's name in his conversations. Mr. Smith says this. Mr. Smith thinks this. Mr. Smith does this. Mr. Smith can do no wrong. There could be a worse problem brewing than her child's fragile self-esteem being hurt. What would happen when Mr. Smith was no longer in Wesley's life? What would happen when he walked out like Brad did?
At McDonald's Zachariah was waiting for her when she pulled into the parking lot. Wesley and Lance were already out on the playground. She remembered the sexual frustration she had felt the last time they had been alone together and thanked her lucky star that she wouldn't be by herself with the man.
"Hello," Zachariah said as she strode up to him.
The sensual gleam in his eyes made her wary. Somehow he always managed to make her feel they were the only two people in the world even though they were in the midst of a crowd. His smile produced a huge knot in her stomach. This time was going to be no different. She could feel him working his magic already. He was stripping away her layers of protection.
"Hi." She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue.
His gaze trekked her movement as though he wanted to devour her. When the energy drained from her legs, she hoped she could make it inside without clutching him for support. It wasn't fair that a simple look, a simple greeting, could be so lethal to her.
"I've got the kids' orders. What do you want?" Zachariah's hand settled at the small of her back as they entered the restaurant
For you not to be so wonderful. She wished the touch of his fingers on her didn't feel so right. "Iced tea." Better yet, bring her a bucket of ice to stick her head in, Tess silently added as he walked up to the counter to give their orders to the teenager. She didn't think it was possible to be going through the change of life this early, but these hot flashes that kept cloaking her when she was around Zachariah sure were annoying.
Tess watched him while he talked with the young man behind the counter. Zachariah obviously knew the teenager. They exchanged more than the orders. When Zachariah approached Tess with the tray full of their food and drinks, he was grinning.
"I know we won today, but you're smiling as though you won the lottery," Tess said, feeling her body responding to his smile.
"It's just about as good. John," Zachariah tossed his head in the direction of the young man behind the counter, "has been my project for the past year."
"Project?" Tess sat down at a table out on the playground and waved for the boys to come and get their meals.
"Yeah. He's been in and out of trouble since he was thirteen. I kinda took John under my wings. I got him this job, got him back into high school. He just told me he's taking the ACT test and applying to Missouri State University. This is a kid I thought would be going to prison, not college."
Emotions swelled in her chest. Zachariah loved to help people. He loved to be totally involved in a person's life. That was great for John but not for her, not when she was trying to stand alone. She took a long sip of her iced tea while the boys came to a screeching halt next to her, plopped down in their chairs, and tore into their food.
"Hold it, young men," Zachariah said in his coach voice. "I don't think you guys need to break the world record today for eating a Happy Meal. Slow down. Savor the hamburger."
"But, Dad," Lance protested with food in his mouth. "We want—"
"And don't forget your manners," Zachariah cut in, handing his son a napkin.
"Can we stay and play after we eat?" Wesley asked, making a point to swallow his food, then wipe his mouth before speaking.
"Can we, Dad?"
Zachariah looked at Tess, a question in his eyes. He was allowing her to make the decision. Her first thought was to say no, not with all she had to do at home, but when she glanced at Wesley, she couldn't. "For twenty minutes. I have to pick up Shaun soon."
"Thanks," both boys said, jumped to their feet, and raced toward the slide.
"Were there actually two children here a moment ago?" Tess asked, laughter in her voice. "I think they did set that world record."
"They have taken the act of bolting down their food and perfected it into an art form."
"While they're playing, I do want to talk to you about Wesley being the goalie. I'm not sure he should be."
"Why?"
"He's going to miss blocking a ball one day and the other team will score."
Zachariah shrugged. "That happens even to us Crystal City Cowboys."
"But I don't know if Wesley can take it, especially if the team loses. He'll think it's al
l his fault."
Zachariah captured her hand and held his cupped over hers. "I promise, Tess, it will be okay. You can't protect him all the time."
"You don't understand. Wesley shut down on me last year, and I'm not sure exactly why. There's more to it than Brad leaving. I know it. I can feel it. And now, finally he's starting to come out of his self-imposed exile, maybe not exactly the way I want him to but at least he's talking. I don't want anything to jeopardize that."
"Your son has potential as a goalie. He'll only be in that position for half the game. Let him play at what he's good at. Did you see that save he made? It was good, especially for someone his age." He squeezed her hand, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I won't let anything hurt him. If he's upset, I'll make sure Wesley gets through it."
Yours, Mine and Ours (Second Chances) Page 10