“It does look delicious,” he said.
“Please stay. It’s the least we can do after we made such a ruckus earlier.” She glanced at the boys, and pitched her voice low. “Anyway, your presence appears to be distracting them from how angry they are with me. Maybe they can forget long enough to actually eat something.”
“Why are they so angry?” he asked. He had a dozen other questions. Who were they? Why had she taken them in? Where were their parents? He would start with the one he had asked.
“It’s a long story,” she said. With her cheeks rosy from the heat of the oven and her eyes that vivid violet color under the kitchen lights, she looked completely delectable. The prim librarian was nowhere in evidence tonight. “They blame me for calling in the child welfare department, taking them out of their home.”
“Why would they blame you?”
“Because that’s exactly what I did,” she answered.
He wanted to press her, but the boys came over before he could.
“Can we eat now?” Davy asked plaintively.
“The garlic bread will be done in a moment and the lasagna needs to sit a bit, but we can start with the salad. Why don’t you pour everyone a glass of water?”
The younger boy hurried to comply, even as Jamie had a feeling what Julia Winston needed more than anything was a stiff glass of something bracing and alcoholic.
* * *
JULIA SUSPECTED THE other members of the Haven Point Helping Hands would never believe how brilliant Jamie Caine was with children. Within five minutes of sitting down to dinner, he had the boys laughing uproariously at a story he told about a disastrous meal he and his brothers fixed their parents when they were kids.
She was beginning to see there was much more to the man than a charming smile and sexy eyes.
By the time they finished eating, Clint and Davy were acting as if he was their new best friend. She tried to ignore the little pinch of envy at how easy he was with them. Better to be grateful. As she had hoped, Jamie’s presence at dinner seemed to have distracted the boys from the trauma of moving in with her.
“That was a delicious meal,” he announced, setting down his napkin beside his plate. “Thank you for inviting me. Guys, what do you say to Julia for fixing us such fantastic lasagna?”
That seemed to remind Clint, at least, that he was still angry with her. He sent her a cold look, then looked down at his plate.
She thought he might snap at her, but instead, he apparently didn’t want to upset his new friend.
“Thank you,” he mumbled.
“Yeah. Thanks,” Davy said, one side of his face smeared with red sauce. “That was the best ’sagna I’ve ever had.”
“You’re very welcome,” she said, dabbing at his cheek with her napkin. “And your salad was perfect. Good job ripping that lettuce.”
“When I was growing up, my mom and dad had a rule,” Jamie said. “Whoever didn’t cook the meal has to clean it up. Since Julia did most of the work, that means us. Why don’t you guys give me a hand clearing these dishes away?”
“I can do it,” she protested.
“So can we. Go put your feet up. Read a book. Throw a ball of string for your cats. Whatever relaxes you.”
She would love to play with the cats, if they weren’t snotty brats.
She cleared her own plate and silverware, then grabbed some of the foster parent documentation Wyn had left and sat at the kitchen table to go through it, where she could watch him interact with the boys—and maybe learn a thing or two in the process.
He really was brilliant with them. To her relief, he didn’t seem in a hurry to say good-night. He turned cleaning the kitchen into a game and had them laughing through the whole thing. When Davy mentioned they would be sleeping on mattresses on the floor until their bunk bed could be set up, Jamie immediately went to their room to check out the situation.
“Oh, we can put this together in a minute,” he said after examining the wood and hardware that had confounded Julia. “Nothing to it. I’ve got just the tools we’ll need.”
“This wasn’t the way you planned to spend your evening,” she protested.
“I didn’t have any plans at all,” he assured her. “I’ll try to get the boys good and tired, so you don’t have to stress about them sneaking out to wander home in the night.”
“I hadn’t been worried about that until you said it. Thank you. I needed one more thing to stress about,” she said tartly, which earned her a grin that made her toes tingle.
He was right about one thing, anyway. The bunk bed didn’t take long to throw together, and she was impressed at the way he let the boys help him figure out what went where.
Jamie was actually perfect with them. Why didn’t he have children of his own? she wondered. Or maybe he did somewhere. What did she know about the man, anyway?
After the drama of the day, the boys both seemed worn out by the time they finished the project. Julia ushered them through showers and into their pajamas and had them brush their teeth. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was quite relieved that Jamie stayed through the whole bedtime routine, providing moral support to her on this first night until they were tucked into their new beds.
Both were asleep almost immediately, leaving Julia utterly drained by the time she closed the door.
“Why do I feel like I’ve somehow survived a hurricane?” she asked as she collapsed onto the sofa.
“My parents always said they never loved us as much as they did when we were asleep and couldn’t get into trouble.”
She smiled, trying to picture him as a boy Clint’s or Davy’s age. It was tough, especially when he was so very masculine. “You were wonderful with them.”
He made a face. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do. You were brilliant. Before you showed up, I was nearly in tears, completely at my wit’s end. We survived the first evening, which gives me hope that maybe we can make it a few weeks.”
“You will,” he said.
She was a little more confident about that than she might have been a few hours earlier, when Clint had been in tantrum mode and Davy had followed his lead.
“I do have one question,” she said.
“Oh?”
“How are you so good with them? Tell me your secret.”
“No secret. Just practice. You know I come from a big family. Seven kids.”
“Seven! I can’t even imagine it!”
One evening with two boys had left her completely exhausted. She shuddered to think of a houseful.
“It was noisy and chaotic and pretty wonderful. As a result of all those siblings, I have been blessed over the years with multiple nieces and nephews, and I guess I’ve picked up a thing or two about dealing with rug rats over the years.”
Her own childhood couldn’t have been more different. When they adopted her, Julia’s mother had been in her midforties, her father ten years older. She had adored them both, but now, through the filter she had gained as an adult, she saw that they had always treated her as a miniature adult. Their home life had been quiet and orderly, without anything resembling chaos.
Sometimes she wondered about all she might have missed.
“Now that the boys are in bed, can you tell me what’s going on? Who are Clinton and Davy, and why are they suddenly living in your house?”
After everything he had done that evening to help them all survive this first night together, he deserved a few answers.
“It’s a very long story. It all started when two little boys walked into my library.”
By the time she finished telling him everything that had transpired over the last few days, he was shaking his head in disgust. “So the mother just took off, leaving two little kids for days, in a freezing-cold house with no food?”
“In her defense, I don’t believe the furnace was out when she left.”
“That’s not really a defense.”
“I know.” Julia frowned. Oh, she hoped their mother was found quickly. Bad enough they lost their father. She hated thinking of them without a mother, too.
“I have to think something drastic must have prevented her from keeping that appointment at the veteran’s hospital, but I don’t like thinking about the possibilities. Police have tried all the hospitals and treatment centers in the region. They haven’t found her vehicle yet.”
“What about the airport or the bus station?”
“Both have been checked. They have an aunt and uncle out there somewhere, the same ones they lived with when both parents were deployed, but the phone number Clint had has been disconnected. All we know is the aunt’s name is Suzi, and they’re living out of the country right now.”
“Those poor kids. They’ve been through hell. You did the right thing, calling in child protective services. Don’t doubt it. You couldn’t leave them there.”
Hearing that validation from him brought the sting of tears to her eyes. “Thank you for saying that,” she said softly. “At least I’ve done one thing right in this whole thing.”
“You did plenty right,” he answered. “You opened your home to them, so you could keep them together. When they get past the initial trauma, they’ll understand that.”
“I hope so. As you clearly saw tonight, I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to children. Unlike you, I don’t have much experience with children. I was an only child of two only children—our family reunions were basically the three of us having a picnic.”
He chuckled at that, the sound low and rich and delicious.
She tried not to notice, focusing instead on the little tendrils of panic curling through her as the reality of what she had done began to soak through once more.
“I’m in so far over my head, I can’t see sunshine. What do I know about kids? I should never have opened my mouth. This house isn’t set up for children. I’m not set up for children. I don’t have clothes for them or shoes or so much as a game of Chutes and Ladders to entertain them.”
“Kids don’t need much.”
She appreciated his efforts to calm her, but the reality of everything two young boys might require, even for a few weeks, was suddenly daunting. “And tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Cripes. I don’t have a single thing prepared.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you already planning to celebrate Thanksgiving before you knew the boys were coming to stay with you?”
“I had volunteered to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the nursing home in Shelter Springs, where my father was for a time and where my mother spent the last few months of her life. They serve a big meal for their residents and families and any senior citizens who don’t have anywhere else to go.”
She didn’t add that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. That was the reason she had agreed when the director asked if she might be available. She had plenty of friends who had invited her to their houses, but this first year without either of her parents seemed like a good chance to help someone else.
“They’re counting on me. I can’t back out at this late date.”
“No. That wouldn’t be right.”
“Maybe I can see if Clint and Davy can go hang out at one of my friends’ houses. Maybe Devin’s or Andie’s. If not, I can put them to work helping me in the kitchen, and then we can come back here and cobble something together for ourselves.”
“I have an alternative idea.”
She barely registered his words, her mind racing with all she had to do. “How late is the grocery store open, do you know? Is there any chance you could stay here in case the boys wake up while I run over to see if I can scrounge up a fresh turkey for us? I’ve got potatoes I can mash, so that won’t be a problem. I’ll have to buy yeast to make rolls and maybe some cranberry sauce as I can’t stand the stuff. Okay. I can do this.”
She jumped up, ready to throw on her shoes and coat and rush out the door, but Jamie laid a restraining hand on her arm.
“I have an alternative,” he said again, more firmly this time.
“I’m sorry. I cut you off,” she realized.
“Aidan and I are making a quick run to Hope’s Crossing in the morning to pick up some of our family members, then we’re bringing them back to Snow Angel Cove for Thanksgiving. Aidan is planning to take Maddie with us on the plane, to keep her out of Sue’s and Eliza’s way.”
She wanted to shake her head at the casual way he talked about making what would be a nine-hour trip by car. She couldn’t imagine being able to hop in a private jet to pick up family for Thanksgiving—but then, Aidan Caine was the founder and CEO of Caine Tech and one of the wealthiest men in the world.
More than likely, Jamie was probably also ridiculously wealthy, since she knew he ran the air fleet for Caine Tech.
“We could easily take Clinton and Davy along with us,” he went on. “There’s plenty of room. My brother Brendan is coming back with us, and he has kids around their age. I’m sure they would get along great. Clint and Davy can come with us to Hope’s Crossing in the morning while you do your thing at the nursing home, then you all can join us at Snow Angel Cove for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow afternoon.”
She stared at him, astonished at the offer. “Why would you... You don’t even know the boys. That’s an extraordinarily generous offer.”
“You don’t know the boys either,” he pointed out. “Not really. Yet you’ve opened your entire home to them. The least I can do is entertain them on my plane for a few hours.”
Could he surprise her any more that evening? Apparently there was much more to Jamie Caine than just a handsome face. The more time she spent with him, the more she found appealing.
For that very reason, a wise woman would probably refuse such a generous offer. She could always go buy three turkey TV dinners for her and the boys. But how could she turn down an adventure that Clint and Davy would probably love?
He wanted to do something nice for two boys who had been through a tough time. She didn’t see how she could be anything but gracious about it.
* * *
JAMIE WAITED FOR her answer with an anxiousness that he didn’t quite understand.
The idea had been one of those spur-of-the-moment things, but it suddenly seemed vitally important that she say yes.
“What do you say?” he pressed, when her silence dragged on. “Think the boys might enjoy an airplane ride? Aidan and I can keep a close eye on the three kids on the flight there. On the way back, there will be a dozen more Caines to watch them on the plane.”
“I’m not concerned about that.”
“Then what? Do you worry about my flying skills? I’m a good pilot, Julia.”
“I’m sure you are,” she answered. “It’s just...it seems such an imposition.”
“Not at all. I offered, which I wouldn’t have done if I didn’t sincerely want to take them with us.”
“All right,” she said after a moment. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled at the adventure. Who knows? It might even help them forget they’re so angry with me.”
“Terrific! I’ll just take them with me to the airstrip in the morning. I’m probably leaving early, around eight.”
“That should be fine.” She paused. “As for the rest of it, while it’s kind of you to invite us to Snow Angel Cove, I’m not completely comfortable intruding on your family’s Thanksgiving.”
“Don’t worry about that for a minute. You know Eliza. She opens the house to everyone. She would be on the phone in a heartbeat inviting you herself, if she had any clue what was going on.”
“She already did invite me, weeks ago. Before I had the boys here.”
“The
re. You see. It won’t be a problem, I promise, but I can have Eliza call you and issue a formal invitation, if that would make you feel better. When we get back to Lake Haven, Aidan and I can take the boys to his place along with everyone else, and you can meet us there when you’re done with your thing in Shelter Springs.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
He shrugged. “When you’re a pilot, you have to think three or four steps ahead. I just want the boys to have a good holiday.”
“They will. It sounds great. I’m envious, if you want the truth.”
“Envious?”
Her cheeks turned that soft pink he was beginning to find completely adorable. “I’ve never been on an airplane. It’s on my bucket list.”
For a moment, he thought he must have misheard her. How was that even possible?
“Never?”
“My parents were homebodies and didn’t like to leave Lake Haven. When I was young, we went on a few vacations—one to Yellowstone and another to Seattle—but they preferred sticking close to home.”
“What about later, when you became an adult? You didn’t ever want to jaunt off to Paris for a week?”
“Not Paris. The Ukraine, maybe,” she said, then her blush heightened, and she looked down at her hands.
That was an odd choice for a vacation. Apparently Julia Winston had a few secrets. “What was in the Ukraine?” Or, more likely, who?
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “It was impossible, anyway. My parents both had health issues toward the end of their lives. With my dad’s Alzheimer’s, it was tough for him to travel, and I didn’t like to leave my mom alone to care for him as she wasn’t very strong herself.”
Jamie had a fierce urge to bundle her up along with the two little boys and fly her somewhere exciting. Tahiti would be lovely this time of year.
He wouldn’t believe her parents allowed her to sacrifice so many years of her life for them.
“You could always bow out of the nursing home thing and come with us.”
Sugar Pine Trail--A Small-Town Holiday Romance Page 8