A Fair of the Heart, Welcome To Redemption, Book1 (3 page)

Lauren carried her inside, settled her in
front of the TV, and headed up the stairs to confront her son. He
was lying on his bed, hands clasped behind his head and eyes
closed. Lauren strode across the room and turned off his stereo.
Max opened his eyes and glared at her. “Hey, I was listening to
that!”

Lauren walked over and sat on the edge of his
bed.

“Max, we have to talk about this.”

“What’s to talk about? My dad’s gone and
you...”

His words trailed off, and Lauren waited for
him to continue, surprised the insults weren’t being hurled quite
as fast as usual. She had to constantly remind herself how hard it
must have been for him to lose his father like that. And without so
much as a letter or a phone call in all these months. Of course,
John Frazier had never been much of a father, but she never
could’ve imagined he’d abandon his own children like this. “And
I…?”

“Forget it.” Max closed his eyes, tuning her
out.

“I can’t forget it, and you know it.” Lauren
blew out a hard breath and eased up off the bed. “Look, I know it’s
easier to blame me since your father isn’t here, but I’m really
tired of you using your sister and me as your personal punching
bags. Your father left us, Max. All three of us, not just you. And
in case you’re wondering, I’ll never leave you. You’re stuck with
me, kiddo.”

His eyes remained closed. “I know, all right?
Just leave me alone. I wanna be alone.”

Frustrated, Lauren backed out of his bedroom
and closed the door. She rushed into the bathroom, locked herself
inside, and let her emotions have the floor. She sobbed silently, a
wad of toilet paper clutched in her fist.

God, how she hated her ex-husband. John
Frazier deserved to be boiled in oil for what he’d done to them,
especially his son. How could a man just up and leave his children
without so much as a word? And then disappear from the face of the
earth? Oh, Lauren knew she could find his sorry ass if she wanted
to hire a PI. But since that plan would require taking a second
mortgage out on her home, it was never going to happen. Somehow,
she knew it would be worse for Max if his father were dragged back
kicking and screaming. They were all better off without him, and
that was a fact. Her kids deserved much better than the likes of
John Frazier. They deserved someone steady and true.

Someone like…Caleb Hunter.

“Are you sure it was Max?” Lauren clutched
the phone to her ear and prayed for patience as Mr. Collier from
down the road explained how he’d caught Max and two of his friends
throwing eggs at his house. He’d given chase, but they’d gotten
away.

“I’m sure. Listen, I don’t plan to press
charges, but if I catch him again, I’m calling the cops.”

“As you should. I’m so sorry, Mr. Collier.
And of course, I’ll pay for any damage.” Her stomach lurched at the
thought of another debt.

“There’s no damage, young lady. I just need
to get the hose out and wash the brick.”

“I’ll send Max down to help as soon as I find
him.” If I find him, she thought, tempted to call the police
herself.

Mr. Collier let out a snorting laugh. “Please
don’t. Just find him before he does some real damage.” And he hung
up.

Lauren packed Emma into the car, and then
started combing the neighborhood for her wayward son. She felt so
helpless, so frightened. Max’s antics were getting worse by the
day, and she had no idea what to do to help him. All she knew for
certain was if she didn’t nip this destructive crap in the bud
soon, Max would find himself sitting in a jail cell with a one-way
ticket to juvy hall.

By the time she found him—hanging out in
front of the hardware store with his friend, Eddie, and two boys
she’d never seen before—Lauren was ready to drag him home by his
ear.

“Maxwell Frazier, you get in this car right
now,” she said through her teeth. Max swung around and, at first,
seemed shocked to see her. But then his new friends razzed him a
bit, and a scowl replaced his doe-eyed expression.

“I’ll be home later,” he snapped, while his
friends snickered and offered comments she, thankfully, couldn’t
hear.

Lauren angrily blinked back tears. Without
thinking, she swung the door open, but quickly realized she
couldn’t leave Emma alone. Max knew she wouldn’t give chase with
Emma in the car, so he turned his back on her, effectively
dismissing her.

“Momma, Max bad boy,” Emma informed her in
all seriousness, which would’ve been funny under normal
circumstances.

Lauren blew out a frustrated breath and put
the car in gear. Before she could turn out onto Main Street,
someone tapped on her window, scaring the bejesus out of her.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
Caleb leaned down to wink at Emma. “Hey, punkin.”

“Ca’yib! Max bad boy ’gin. He make Momma
cry.”

Lauren put the car back in park, then turned
and shook her head at the little stinker. “Tattletale.”

Caleb’s expression hardened. He cast a look
at Max and his friends, who were all openly staring at Caleb, and
then reached in and cupped Lauren’s cheek. “I’ll handle this, if
you like.”

Lauren was somewhat surprised by the intimate
touch. But in a good way. She’d love to close her eyes and snuggle
into his warm palm. “I’d like very much. But if you help me drag
him back home, he’ll just run out again. He’ll also resent you ten
times more than he already does.”

Caleb waved that off. “He’ll get over it. I’m
more worried about what he’ll do in the meantime. I’ve been in
Max’s shoes. He’s got a lot of anger brewing inside of him. Mixed
with adolescent angst, that’s a lethal combination.”

“Okay, not helping,” Lauren said, her fear
escalating.

Before Caleb could respond, a rock whizzed
past the windshield, followed by a second, which just missed his
head. Caleb dropped to a crouch and let out a curse. “Stay in the
car,” he ordered.

Lauren watched in horror as Caleb gave chase.
All four boys split up and ran in different directions, but Caleb
raced after Max. And my God was he fast. Lauren watched with her
mouth hanging open as Caleb caught Max by the collar before he’d
even reached the edge of the hardware store’s parking lot. She
opened her door and got out of the car, tempted to run over and
intervene, but the fact that Emma was in the car kept her rooted
firmly in place.

“Let me go! You got no right touching me. I’m
a minor! You stupid, son-of-a—”

Caleb clamped a hand over Max’s mouth, and
escorted him to Lauren’s car. He yanked the back door open, but
before he took his hand from Max’s mouth, he warned, “One cuss
word, and you’ll regret it.”

Max met Lauren’s gaze, his eyes red-rimmed
and filled with disgust. “I hate you,” he seethed.

Caleb stuffed him in the backseat and
ordered, “Put your seatbelt on.” Caleb shut the door and caught
Lauren’s eye. He hooked a thumb toward the hardware store. “I have
to go pick up a few things for a job tomorrow. I’ll be by as soon
as I’m done. Think you’ll be all right?”

Lauren had no idea what to say. Or what to
think. Could it really have been just yesterday Caleb Hunter walked
through her front door and into her life? In some ways, it felt as
if she’d known him forever. It was such a relief to have help with
Max. Her mother lived halfway across the country in sunny
California, and her father had cut ties with her when his new wife
gave him an ultimatum: her or Lauren. Frankly, Lauren had been less
than surprised by his choice.

“I’ll be fine, thanks.” She lowered her
voice. “Listen, you don’t have to come by. I feel like I’ve taken
up so much of your time already. This is my problem, I’ll deal with
it.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with it alone,”
he replied in a low tone. “He’s a big boy, Lauren. If he got
physical with you, think you’d be able to handle him?”

Lauren bit down on her bottom lip. Max was
her son, her little boy. He’d never hurt her, of that she was
certain. He did need some male guidance, however, and Caleb was the
only man who’d ever shown any interest in her kids.

“Can we just go?” Max whined from the
backseat.

Lauren made a quick decision. If Caleb was
willing to help her rein Max in, get his anger under control, she’d
be foolish to turn down his generosity. And of course it had
nothing to do with the fact that the man was gorgeous, or that she
craved his company like most women craved chocolate.

Steely determination stiffened her spine.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

* * *

“So, spill. Who’s the handsome stranger I saw
fixing your front door yesterday?”

Lauren’s next-door neighbor, Carrie Lowell,
handed Lauren a loaf of still warm zucchini bread and strode past
her into the house. Once they were seated at the kitchen table,
Lauren poured them each a cup of coffee and cut them each a slice
of the bread. Carrie had been Lauren’s rock those first few weeks
after John had left. Having gone through a divorce herself, she’d
known exactly what to say and what not to say, simply listening
when Lauren needed to vent, and holding her when she’d needed to
cry.

“His name’s Caleb Hunter. Matt sent him over
for a haircut, and the house decided to start dropping parts while
he was here.”

Carrie chuckled. “It’s just its way of saying
hello.”

Lauren grinned. “Well, yesterday, it was in
an especially friendly mood. And Caleb, out of pity, offered to do
a few repairs in exchange for a home-cooked meal.”

“Uh-huh. For a home-cooked meal. I’m sure it
had nothing to do with the fact you’re supermodel gorgeous.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s me,
Heidi Klum’s twin. Anyway, he fixed the front and back doors, then
Max’s bottom drawer that’s been stuck shut. Only Max wasn’t too
happy to find a stranger in his room when he got home.”

“I’ll bet.” Carrie took a sip of her coffee.
“So did this Caleb go running for the hills after he met Max?”

Lauren broke off a small piece of the moist
bread and popped it in her mouth. “That’s the surprising part—no.
When Max didn’t come down for supper, I went up to get him and
discovered he’d snuck out of the house. Caleb went out, found him,
and dragged him home.”

Carrie’s brow shot up. “Wow, a real man.
Didn’t think there were any of those left in the world.”

Lauren gave an absent nod. She didn’t quite
share her friend’s cynical views on the male population, but
understood where she was coming from. “When he said he’d call,
believe me, I had doubts. Then yesterday, Max took off again. I
found him hanging out in front of the hardware store with some
punks I’d never seen before, and Caleb showed up.” Lauren shared
the entire story with her.

Carrie made a face. “Sounds a little too good
to be true, if you ask me.”

“I know, right? My thoughts exactly. But Max
is exhausting, and I’m scared to death of what he’ll do next.
Yesterday I got a call from Mr. Collier. He caught Max and those
punks throwing eggs at his house. That’s why I went looking for
him.” Lauren blew out a shaky breath, took a sip of her coffee.
“Caleb made a comment about having been in Max’s shoes. He didn’t
elaborate, but I got the impression his own father pulled a
disappearing act, too. Maybe he’s exactly what Max needs, someone
who understands how he—” Lauren stopped and gave her head a rueful
shake. “Is it terrible of me to let this man, this...virtual
stranger, take on my burdens?”

Carrie’s eyes softened. “Of course not.
You’re human, and you have a lot on your plate right now.”

Lauren absently picked at her zucchini-raisin
bread. “Yeah, but who doesn’t. I’m just desperate for help with
Max. He’s drowning in his misery, and I have no idea how to help
him. But maybe Caleb does, you know? Or maybe I’m just a terrible
mother.”

“Do I need to slap some sense into you? Come
on, Laur, you’re a wonderful mother. And there’s nothing shameful
about admitting you need help, or accepting help when it’s
offered.”

Lauren had to blink back tears. Normally, she
wasn’t this weepy and emotional. Her period must be due, she
thought with a rueful eye roll. “Thanks, I can always count on you
to put things into perspective. And since I invited Caleb to supper
again tonight,” she continued with a grin, “your speech came at
just the right moment.”

Carrie laughed. “Glad I could help.”
Suddenly, her expression sobered. “Hey, did you hear about
Rosalee?”

“No, what about her?”

“She passed away a few weeks back. Heard it
was a heart attack.”

Fresh tears stung Lauren’s eyes. “My God,
poor Hutch.” Lauren and the kids adored Rosalee, who’d been a
waitress at Hutch’s Diner for years; long before Lauren and her ex
had moved to Redemption. Rosalee and Hutch had been planning to get
married this summer…Max and Emma were going to be heartbroken when
she told them. “Life really is short, isn’t it?” she murmured.

“It sure is. So quit doubting yourself and
start putting your own needs out there, too. Caleb may or may not
be what Max needs, but he sure as hell seems to be exactly what you
need.”

* * *

“Wow, is this déjà vu or what?” Lauren teased
as Caleb walked in the front door. He had his tool belt strapped on
his hips, and a sexy grin on his lips.

“Cute.”

She laughed. “Perfect timing. Supper’s
ready.”

Caleb unhooked his tool belt and hung it on
the coat tree. “Smells delicious.” He followed her into the
kitchen. “Keep feeding me like this and you’ll never get rid of
me.”

That’s the plan, Stan. “Don’t worry, this
house needs so much work, you won’t eat a frozen pizza for
months.”

Caleb met her gaze, a slow smile lifting the
corners of his lips. “Can I get that in writing?”

“Ca’yib!”

Lauren’s heart swelled when Emma hobbled into
the kitchen, straight into Caleb’s arms. For a split second, she
wondered if it was wise allowing her daughter to become so attached
to a man they’d only just met. For all Lauren knew, she and Caleb
might prove to be completely incompatible.