A Fair of the Heart, Welcome To Redemption, Book1 (5 page)

Caleb walked around to the driver’s side and
climbed in behind the wheel. Max’s statement reminded him of just
how young the boy was, despite appearances. He took a deep breath
and started up the truck. “Son, I don’t want anything to happen to
you. I’d like to help, if you’ll let me.”

Max stared straight ahead, but Caleb
recognized a trace of vulnerability shadowed in the kid’s
expression. Caleb’s throat swelled with unfamiliar emotion.
Somehow, the kid had burrowed under his skin, making Caleb feel
things he was completely unprepared to deal with. Hell, so had his
mother and sister. Christ, he was a goner on so many levels it
wasn’t funny. But he could sort all that shit out later. Right now,
the only thing he cared about was breaking through the wall of rage
Max had built up around himself over the past year.

Caleb pulled out his cell phone and called
Lauren. Turned out Max had snuck out of the house again, and Lauren
had been on the verge of panic.

“I’m just so glad you were there. I’m
starting to think kismet isn’t just a pretty word.”

Despite her attempt to sound composed, Caleb
knew this was killing her. He also knew he didn’t have the right to
butt into their lives, but Max needed guidance and Lauren needed
help—even if she was too stubborn to admit it. An idea occurred to
him. “Listen, would it be all right if I took Max to my place for a
little while? I could use some help with a project I’ve been
working on, and I think he’d be perfect for the job.”

A slight pause. “I don’t know. It’s pretty
late, and I’m already so far in debt to you. I’ll be feeding you
supper `til Emma’s in high school.”

“Just an hour. I’ll have him home by nine
thirty.”

Max shot Caleb a quick look, but remained
silent.

“Can you put him on the phone, please?”

Caleb held out the phone. “Say hello to your
mother.”

Max ignored Caleb’s outstretched hand. “Hello
to your mother.”

Smart-mouthed little crapper. Caleb put the
phone back to his ear. “Sorry about that. You deserve better.”

“I’m getting used to his disrespect,” she
replied, a shrug in her voice. “Fine, one hour. And Caleb, I don’t
know what else to say but thanks…again.”

Caleb ended the call, cast his sullen
passenger a quick look, then put the truck in gear and headed
home.

* * *

“You really made this?”

Caleb ran his hand over the wooden sign that
read Lauren’s Hair Salon. “Yep. Think she’ll like it?”

Max stared at the sign, his expression
guarded. Finally, he gave a reluctant nod.

“Good, I wasn’t sure. I still need to stain
and weatherproof it. Thought maybe you could give me a hand.”

Max looked up at him. “I don’t know how to do
that kind of stuff.”

“I’ll teach you. It’s easy.” Caleb set the
wooden sign down on his workbench and opened the can of stain.
After a good stir, he selected a brush, dipped it in the can, and
scraped the excess off on the inside of the rim. “Now, you just
brush it on, making sure to cover every square inch. Think you can
handle it?”

Max gave him a “duh” look and held his hand
out for the brush. Caleb could barely contain his smile as Max took
the brush and went to work.

“The sign is carved on both sides,” Caleb
explained, pleased by Max’s eye for detail as he worked the brush
into the grooves. “So both sides will have to be stained. And
instead of hanging it back on the house, I thought it would look
sharp hanging from a post in the front yard.” A grin tugged at
Caleb’s mouth. “Maybe I should’ve made sure your mom’s okay with me
digging in the yard, first.”

Max eyed him as he reapplied stain to the
brush. “She won’t care, trust me. She’ll probably start crying when
she sees it. Just warning ya.”

Caleb lost the battle with the grin. “Thanks
for the heads up.”

Once Max had the first side finished, Caleb
said, “We’ll give this a few minutes to dry before flipping it
over. Come on.” He opened the door that led into the house.

“What?”

“I picked up some double-chocolate caramel
brownies from the grocery store today. Thought you might want to
try ’em out with me.”

Max shrugged and started forward, his steps
hesitant.

“Might wanna move faster than that,” Caleb
warned as he stepped inside. “I can eat a dozen brownies in about
thirty seconds flat.” The quick staccato of footsteps brought an
odd ache to his chest as Max hurried in behind him and took a seat
at the butcher block and white finish wood kitchen table.

Max looked around with open-mouthed
curiosity, and Caleb found himself strangely eager for the kid’s
approval. The kitchen was done in shades of yellow, white, red and
blue, in what his mother had called “country charm.” Lots of stars
and hearts, crafts made of wood, buttons, and colored twine. As a
kid, Caleb hadn’t much appreciated the homey look. As an adult, he
found it as comforting as...chicken bake. He smiled and hoped it
wasn’t goofy.

Caleb set the brownies in the middle of the
table and poured them each a glass of milk. Guys didn’t need plates
and napkins and forks. Just more stuff that needed washing. They
both dug in and grabbed one of the gooey, crumbling brownies.

They ate in silence for several minutes
before Max got up and went to look at something on the
refrigerator. A photo of Caleb and his mother taken shortly before
he’d enlisted in the army.

He turned to study Caleb, then back to the
photo.

“Hey, is Rosalee your mom?”

Caleb nodded, surprised by the question. “Did
you...how did you know my mother?”

“We used to go to the diner after my guitar
lessons.” Max walked back to the table and grabbed another
brownie.

“I had no idea you played guitar.”

Max nodded as he chewed. He took a gulp of
his milk. “I quit taking lessons, so we don’t go to the diner
anymore. Your mom’s cool. She always lets me keep the can of
whipped cream on the table when I order hot chocolate.”

“Sounds like her.” His mother had known
Lauren and the kids. The thought pleased him, somewhat easing the
guilt he’d been carrying around like a backpack. Then Max’s words
registered. “Max, you do know my mother passed away a short time
ago, don’t you?”

Max looked up, his shock evident.

“What? No, I...God, I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah, me too. But I’m glad you knew
her.”

“Rosalee’s…was the best.” Max settled his
gaze back on the picture. “I don’t think my mom knows. She’s gonna
be super bummed.”

Caleb nodded, wondering suddenly if his
mother had ever spoken about him to Lauren.

He and Max sat in silence for a moment. One
last brownie sat in the tray. Caleb pushed it toward Max’s side of
the table. “Go on, take it.”

“Cool, thanks.” Max scooped it up without a
moment’s hesitation.

Caleb grinned. “You earned it. When you’re
done, we’ll finish up that sign. I’d like to put it up for your
mother tomorrow.”

“Why’re you being so nice to me?” Max asked
once he’d polished off the last brownie. “I know you don’t like me,
and it’s not like my mom cares what I think, anyway.”

Caleb gulped down the rest of his milk, then
got up to put the glass in the sink. He turned and leaned back
against the sink, arms crossed, making sure to choose his words
carefully. “Your mother cares very much what you think, Max. Maybe
if you took the time to actually talk to her instead of snapping at
her, you’d have figured that out by now.”

“She chased my dad away.” Max’s soft-spoken
announcement surprised Caleb.

The kid sounded so dejected, so young,
Caleb’s heart went out to him. “Look, son, I know it’s easier to
blame your mom for what happened than—”

“But I heard her! I heard her tell him to
pack his stuff and get out.” Max’s eyes grew red and angry. “You
think I’m lying?”

“No, I don’t doubt that’s what you heard. But
you have to understand, Max, she had reason. And just because she
wanted him out of the house, didn’t mean she wanted him out of your
lives. Your father chose to leave, and your mother chose to stay.
Maybe you should consider that next time you’re trying to make her
feel like crap.”

Max’s chin started to quiver. “I wanna go
home.”

Caleb took a deep breath. Good going, moron.
Next, why don’t you tell the kid his daddy hates him? “Look, I’m
sorry. I had no right talking about your dad. I just want you to
consider how hard this has been on your mother. Maybe give her a
break now and then.”

“You don’t understand.” Max got up and headed
back into the garage. Caleb followed him. “We were supposed to go
hunting this year. He said when I turned eleven, he’d take me
hunting.” Max uncapped the stain and started on the other side.

Caleb watched the kid move the brush across
the wood, taking care to get in every nook and cranny. Maybe it
would be best if they got off the subject of his parents. “You
know, you’re pretty darn good at that. Any chance you’d want to
earn some extra money? I have several jobs coming up that involve
staining.”

The brush stopped. Caleb could see the wheels
turning in Max’s head. Caleb knew times were tight in the Frazier
household, so it was a sure bet the kid could use the cash.

“How much would you pay me?”

“If your mom says it’s all right, I’ll give
you eight bucks an hour.”

“Cool.”

“You what?”

Caleb smiled. “We made you a new sign. For
your business.”

“I stained the whole thing, both sides,” Max
proudly informed her. “’Cept the post. Caleb already had that
done.”

Lauren’s chest filled with joy as she gazed
at her seemingly happy son. Not only was Max speaking to her, but
he was smiling as well. And all thanks to Caleb. “I don’t know what
to say. You guys are the best.”

“So, it’s all right if I dig up a hole for
the post? I can hang the sign on the side of the house, if you
prefer.”

“No, I’d love to have it hanging in the yard.
Wow, I think this has earned you guys a lasagna dinner.”

Caleb grinned. “Garlic bread?”

“Apple pie, too. But not homemade,” she
admitted with a little shrug. “I have a Mrs. Smith’s in the
freezer.”

Caleb elbowed Max. “Better let her out before
she freezes to death, huh?”

Max chuckled, and the sound was music to
Lauren’s ears. She hadn’t a clue what Caleb had said to her son,
but she loved him for it.

Loved? Whoa.

Lauren cleared her throat. “Well, since I
don’t have any appointments this morning, I think I’ll take Emma
grocery shopping. I need a few things for supper.”

“Take your time. I only had one job this
morning, so maybe Max and I can try to scratch a few more things
off your ‘to fix’ list.”

“No complaints here.”

By the time Lauren and Emma returned home, a
gorgeous wooden sign, much fancier than she’d imagined, hung from
an expertly carved L-shaped post in front of her house. Caleb came
out and grabbed the bags, while Lauren unbuckled Emma from her car
seat.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t even know
what to say. It’s worth so much more than a lasagna dinner.”

Caleb came up behind her and whispered
against her ear, “Maybe worth a kiss?”

Lauren’s heart missed a beat. Luckily, she
had a good grip on Emma. She met his gaze for a brief moment before
walking past him into the house. Definitely worth a kiss.

And then some.

Caleb followed her into the kitchen and set
the bags on the table. “I love lasagna. Trust me—I’m getting the
better end of the deal here.”

Lauren set Emma down and started putting away
the groceries. “Then I’ll graciously concede and get supper
started. It’ll be a couple of hours, at least. Is there anything
you need to take care of before it’s ready?”

Caleb flipped one of her kitchen chairs
around and straddled it. He gazed up at her. “The only thing I’d
like to do is get to know you better.”

Hmmm, someone’s grown a little bolder today.
Lauren likes. “Sounds like a plan. You can keep me company while I
get my sauce going.”

“Homemade sauce?”

Lauren laughed softly. His voice had raised a
whole octave. “Of course. It’s not that hard to make. Your mom
probably made her own sauce.” Too late she realized her blunder.
She set the fresh mushrooms on the counter and turned to face him.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, it’s fine. And, yes, she made her own
sauce. In fact, I’ve never tasted any to compare.”

Lauren pulled out her cutting board and
sliced into an onion. “Well, prepare to be blown away, Mr. Hunter.
I think my sauce would make your mother proud.”

“Oh, Caleb told you about Rosalee?” Max said
as he wandered into the kitchen. He went straight for the fridge
and pulled out the milk gallon jug filled with Kool-Aid. “Pretty
sad she died. Rosalee was awesome.”

Stunned, Lauren locked eyes on Caleb.
“Rosalee was your mother?” When he nodded, she clapped a hand to
her chest. “I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection, I’m so
sorry. I just found out yesterday that she passed. The kids and I
loved her. What an incredible lady.”

Caleb’s smile was bittersweet. “I’m so glad
you and the kids got a chance to know her.”

“She was awesome. Made the best strawberry
pie in the world and always saved me a piece.” Max poured himself a
big glass of Kool-Aid, then shook the jug in Caleb’s direction.
“Want some?”

Lauren’s head popped up in astonishment.
Cripes, it was as if the kid had received a complete personality
transplant overnight. The phrase “too good to be true” flashed in
her mind, but she told it to take a hike.

“I’d love a glass, thanks.”

Okay, if they started singing ‘Kumbaya’ she’d
know for sure it was time to start looking for the hidden
cameras.