Ask Anyone

by Sherryl Woods

  Bobby took a sip of the soup, then nodded. He added the herb, then tasted it again. “Better,” he said happily. “So, what brings you by?”

  “A glimpse of your handsome face,” she said, just to see the immediate rise of heat in his eyes.

  “Yeah, right,” he said, turning his attention back to the soup.

  Jenna touched his cheek. “I’m serious. I’ve missed you.”

  He sighed and turned his face to kiss the palm of her hand. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “You could have solved that problem anytime,” she told him.

  “There’s been a lot going on.”

  “Then this isn’t all about discretion?”

  “Absolutely not. I’ve been trying to work things out with J.C. Every spare minute I’ve had has been spent trying to get it through that kid’s head that he has a biological father who intends to be a part of his life.”

  “Lonnie and Ann-Marie agreed to that?”

  He nodded, his expression grim. “Lonnie required a little persuasion, but we worked it out. He’s now officially washed his hands of all responsibility for J.C. Imagine what that’s done for the kid’s already low self-esteem.”

  She pulled a stool up to the counter where Bobby was working and sat down. “Are you getting through to your son?”

  He sighed. “Not yet. He sits in the same room with me, because Ann-Marie insists on it. I actually got him to go out for ice cream the other night, but he didn’t say a single word the whole time except to tell Earlene what flavor he wanted.”

  “He’s scared,” Jenna said.

  “I know that. What I don’t know is how to prove to him that I’m not going anywhere, that I won’t turn my back on him, even when he gets into trouble. I’d planned to have him move in with me, but considering how he feels about me right now, I think that would probably be a disaster.”

  “Maybe not,” Jenna said thoughtfully. “Maybe it would prove that you’re in this for the long haul.” She hesitated, took a deep breath, then added, “Maybe I could help.”

  He stared at her. “How? And why would you even want to after what he did to Darcy?”

  “He’s your son,” she said simply. “And he’s ten years old. He deserves a second chance.”

  Bobby put aside the knife he was using to cut strawberries to decorate the top of his strawberry-rhubarb pie, wiped his hands on his apron and stepped closer. “You’re amazing,” he said, then leaned down to touch his lips to hers. “Have I told you that?”

  “Not lately,” she said, a hitch in her voice as her pulse raced.

  “Well, you are. Remind me to tell you that every single day.”

  “I’ll put it on one of my lists,” she promised.

  “So what’s your idea?”

  “Why don’t we take J.C., Tommy, Pete and Darcy to Kings Dominion?”

  Bobby stared at her incredulously. “You want to take all four kids to an amusement park?”

  “Why not? It’ll be good for them, and it’ll be research for me. Maybe we’ll get some more ideas for the boardwalk. Daisy and Walker can come along, too.”

  “Four adults against four kids,” Bobby said, his expression thoughtful. “I like the odds.”

  “We’re not going into battle,” Jenna chastised.

  Bobby grinned. “That’s what you think.”

  22

  “I’m not going,” Darcy said, her arms folded across her narrow chest, a mulish expression on her face. “Not if J.C. is going.”

  “Nothing is going to happen,” Jenna assured her. “I’ll be there. Bobby will be there. So will Daisy and Walker. You don’t even have to talk to him if you don’t want to. You and Tommy can do your own thing.”

  “Tommy will want to be with Pete and J.C. They’re guys.”

  Jenna beckoned her daughter across the room and looked her in the eye. “Are you scared of J.C.?”

  Darcy’s lower lip trembled, but the defiant expression stayed firmly in place. “I’m not scared of anything.”

  “Well, you don’t have to be scared of J.C., that’s for sure. He’s been punished for hurting you. And, trust me, Bobby will see to it that he never does anything like that again—not to you, not to anyone.”

  Some of the tension in Darcy seemed to ease. “How can Bobby stop it?” she asked warily.

  Jenna considered her next words carefully. Though rumors of the relationship between Bobby and J.C. had been racing all around Trinity Harbor for a few weeks now, Bobby and Ann-Marie hadn’t publicly confirmed them. Still, there seemed little point in keeping the secret if Bobby intended to play an increasingly important role in J.C.’s life.

  “J.C. is his son.”

  Darcy stared at her in shock. “Get out of here.”

  Jenna grinned at her reaction. “It’s true. No one knew until recently, including Bobby.”

  “So if you and Bobby get together, that means J.C. would be around all the time? He’d be almost like my…” Her eyes got bigger as she completed the thought. “Like my brother?”

  “Bobby and I aren’t getting together,” Jenna said emphatically.

  “Like I believe that,” Darcy retorted smugly.

  “We’re not,” Jenna felt compelled to insist. “The point is, you like spending time with Bobby. There’s a good chance you’ll be running into J.C. Why not try to make peace with him now, with both Bobby and me around to supervise?”

  “Does he have to apologize to me?” Darcy asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Can I tell him what a low-down bully he was?”

  Jenna bit back a grin. “You can tell him that once,” she agreed. “Then you drop it.”

  Darcy nodded. “Okay. One more thing, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Can I please get my green hair cut off before we go? I really, really learned my lesson, and I don’t want J.C. to tease me about it ever again.”

  Jenna gave her daughter a fierce hug. “You can get your hair cut. We’ll make an appointment today.”

  Darcy pumped her fist in the air. “All right! I’ll go.”

  Jenna chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm. “I love you, Darcy Kennedy.”

  Darcy made a face at her. “Mom, don’t get all mushy,” she protested. “It’s just a trip to an amusement park.”

  No, Jenna thought, it was more than that. Though Darcy might not realize it, it was her coming-of-age party. Jenna’s baby girl was growing up. No doubt there would be a lot more rebellions to come once she hit her teens, but in the last few minutes Darcy had shown a level of maturity—and a capacity for forgiveness—beyond her years. Jenna had to wonder if she was going to be able to be half as understanding as her daughter once she actually saw J. C. Gates face to face. Darcy’s bruises had healed. Her arm would be out of the cast in a few weeks, but Jenna would carry with her forever the image of the way her daughter had looked when Jenna had arrived at Daisy’s after the brawl in which Darcy had been injured.

  That boy is Bobby’s son, she reminded herself. And even if he weren’t, he would deserve a second chance. Nobody on earth knew more about second chances than she did. She’d just have to keep reminding herself of that.

  King was tired of waiting around for his son to get off his duff and propose to Jenna Kennedy. Any man worth his salt would have clinched that deal by now. But it seemed the only deal Bobby had made with her was the one to develop the boardwalk. A business arrangement was one thing, but King wanted something more permanent tying them together.

  “Probably making a mistake,” he muttered under his breath as he pulled into the parking lot at the marina. He should no doubt let well enough alone. But darn it all, he wanted his family to keep on growing. He wanted a dynasty.

  Since none of his own offspring were the least bit interested in perpetuating the cattle business that was their legacy, then he was going to have to count on the next generation. He’d managed to lure Tommy out to Cedar Hill on several occasions for a few lessons, but the boy was more interest
ed in taking apart tractors than he was in cattle. He’d actually fixed an old broken-down John Deere tractor that the mechanics in town had said wasn’t worth repairing.

  Bottom line, it looked as if King was going to have to look further afield for someone to run Cedar Hill’s cattle operation. He needed to get both his sons married off. Since there was no female prospect in Tucker’s life at the moment, that meant King needed to concentrate on Bobby.

  He strode into Bobby’s office, right past a startled Maggie. “Son…” His voice trailed off when he realized he was all alone. He whirled around and scowled at Bobby’s secretary. “Where is he?”

  “Kings Dominion,” she told him, then grinned. “And I’m referring to the amusement park.”

  King frowned at her sassy remark. “I know that. What the devil is he doing down there?”

  “I believe it’s a family outing,” she said. “Daisy and Walker went along with Tommy. And Bobby took J.C.”

  King paused at that. “Is that so?”

  Maggie regarded him with a sly expression. “Did I mention that Jenna and Darcy went along, too?”

  “Now you’re talking,” King enthused. “Maybe that boy’s not as dense as I feared. Thank you, young lady. You’ve just made my day.”

  He started to leave, but Maggie stopped him. “Mr. Spencer, Bobby left a message for you.”

  “Oh? How’d he know I’d be by?”

  She grinned. “He said it was only a matter of time.”

  “What the dickens does that mean?”

  “I assume he meant that you have a tendency to meddle,” she said, her gaze unflinching. “He’s been expecting a visit.”

  “Okay, okay, what’s the message?” he grumbled.

  “He said you should be concentrating on your own love life,” she said, grinning broadly.

  “Oh, he did, did he?” King said, unable to keep the indignation out of his voice.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Thank you, Maggie. You tell my son this—from here on out, he should mind his own damn business.” He regarded her with a fierce expression. “In those exact words.”

  She laughed, then covered her mouth and fought for a somber expression. “Yes, sir. I’ll tell him exactly that. If he calls in, can I tell him how to get in touch with you?”

  King thought about Frances and this crazy trip she was on. It was time she got back to Trinity Harbor. Folks around here needed her.

  “Tell him I’ve gone after something I almost lost,” King said. “I imagine he’ll know what that means.”

  Now all he had to do was figure out where to start looking. Of course, one of the advantages of having a son who was the sheriff was that there were certain resources at his disposal. All he had to do was march into Tucker’s office and declare that Frances Jackson was a missing person.

  Five minutes later he was doing exactly that. Tucker stared at him as if he’d gone off his rocker.

  “You want to file a missing person’s report on Frances?” Tucker repeated, as if King hadn’t been perfectly clear on that point.

  “That’s exactly what I want.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s missing, dammit!”

  “I don’t think so,” Tucker said.

  “Are you telling me you won’t do this?” King demanded.

  “As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t,” Tucker told him, grinning. “But that’s not what I was telling you. I saw Frances at Earlene’s not an hour ago. She didn’t look lost to me.”

  King’s heart took the kind of leap it hadn’t taken in years. It was a good thing the woman didn’t do this kind of thing often. He wasn’t sure he was up to it.

  “Well, why the heck didn’t you say so straight out, instead of letting me go on and on?” he muttered, heading for the door.

  “Because it was real nice seeing how worried you were about her,” Tucker said. “A word of advice—this time don’t let her get away. For some reason, the woman seems to care about you. At your age, I’m not sure how many more chances you’re likely to get.”

  “Watch your tongue, boy. I’m still young enough to whip your butt.”

  Tucker grinned. “If you want to waste time going a few rounds with me out back, let’s go for it. It’s been a slow day. I could use the exercise.”

  “Later,” King said. “I’ve got better fish to fry.” He shot a pointed look at his son. “Too bad you can’t say the same.”

  Bobby glanced in the rearview mirror and felt his heart turn over. J.C. was sound asleep in the back seat, his hair tousled, his nose sunburned. For the first time since he’d discovered that J.C. was his son, he saw evidence of the innocent kid inside that defensive, sullen boy.

  Not that J.C. had been difficult today. With Tommy, Pete and Darcy around, he’d been on his good behavior, but he hadn’t let himself be part of the group. He’d kept a cautious distance from the others, riding the rides alone instead of sharing a car, eating his hot dog or ice cream on another bench. And he hadn’t said two words to Bobby all day long.

  Bobby sighed heavily.

  Jenna glanced over at him. “It’s going to work out,” she reassured him quietly.

  “I don’t see how. He refuses to get along with anybody.”

  “Want to hear my take on today?” she asked.

  “Why not?”

  “I think he’s scared. The only relationship he’s had with a father was with Lonnie, who didn’t abuse him but certainly made him feel like he wasn’t worthy of a father’s love. Now you come along and say you want to be his dad. He barely knows you. All the other kids know you really well and adore you. He’s still an outsider. Even tonight, here he is riding back with us, while all of the other kids are with Walker and Daisy.”

  “I didn’t want to shove my responsibility off on them,” Bobby said. “Besides, I thought it might give J.C. and me a little time to get to know each other better. I figured we could talk about everything we did today. Then what does he do? He goes to sleep.”

  “Did it ever occur to you that he might simply be tired?” Jenna asked, smiling. “I honestly don’t think he went to sleep to avoid you. It’s been a long day. We spent hours in the hot sun, ate too much. I imagine Tommy, Pete and Darcy are sound asleep in Walker’s car, too.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Bobby, having a relationship with J.C. is not going to happen overnight. Give it time. I thought he did really well today. He apologized to Darcy and to me. He was polite to everyone. Would you have liked it better if he’d picked a fight with somebody?”

  “Maybe,” Bobby said honestly. “It would have seemed more…I don’t know…normal.”

  “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t expect him to toe the straight and narrow and then act like a normal kid at the same time. Set the boundaries and give it time. I’m sure he’ll start testing them again soon enough, if only to discover if you meant what you said about being in his life to stay.”

  “You think he expects me to abandon him?”

  “If he misbehaves, yes. I think that’s exactly what he expects, what he’s most afraid of.”

  Bobby sighed again. “God, I hate this. When I think of how messed up that boy’s life is, how much I missed out on, I want to strangle Ann-Marie.”

  “You’re working together to make things right now. That’s all that you can do,” Jenna told him.

  He reached for her hand, picked it up and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “How’d you get to be so smart?”

  She laughed at that. “I’ve had nine years with Darcy, and I’m just now getting a handle on things. You’ll get the knack of it, too.”

  “If nine years is the learning curve, J.C. could be in serious trouble long before then.”

  “He won’t be,” she assured him. “I saw him watching the other kids today, even when he was pretending not to care about them. He wants so badly to be one of them. We’ll all keep reaching out to him until he is.”

  Bobby pulled up in front of Ann-Marie’
s and cut the engine. He glanced into the back seat where J.C. was still breathing evenly, his eyes closed, his lips parted. Bobby got out of the car and opened the back door.

  “Hey, son,” he said, giving J.C.’s shoulder a gentle nudge.

  When J.C. merely moaned and rolled his face away, Bobby shrugged and reached inside to lift him out. He was a big kid, but Bobby had no difficulty carrying him across the lawn. The front door opened, spilling light across the yard. To his surprise, it was Lonnie who was waiting for them.

  “Conked out?” he said with a knowing expression. “The boy always did sleep like the dead. I’ll take him.”

  Reluctantly, Bobby transferred his son to Lonnie’s arms. “Thanks.”

  Lonnie met his gaze. “Not a problem.”

  In that instant, for the first time since this entire mess had been revealed, Bobby felt a ray of hope. “You feel like grabbing a beer one night this week, maybe hanging out for a couple of hours?”

  Surprise flared in Lonnie’s eyes. “You serious?”

  “I think it’s time we talked.”

  “About?” he asked cautiously.

  The list was endless—Ann-Marie, J.C.’s childhood, their lost friendship, the future. But instead of mentioning any of that, Bobby grinned. “Let’s start with the weather and see how it goes. How does Tuesday suit you? The bar at the marina?”

  Lonnie nodded. “I’ll be by after work—or is that a bad time for you?”

  “I’ll make it a good time,” Bobby told him.

  He was whistling when he went back to the car. Jenna regarded him with surprise.

  “Everything okay?”

  “It’s getting there,” he told her. “Lonnie and I agreed to get together to talk things out. I think making peace with him will go a long way toward making things better for J.C.”

  “You’re a smart man, Bobby Spencer.”

  “Not so smart,” he said. “I haven’t figured out what to do about you yet.”

  She grinned at him. “That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I have work to do.”

  He laughed. “And word on the street is that you’re doing an incredible job.”