A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel

By

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by E. Ayers

All rights reserved. This book or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the author or publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or
reviews.

This is a work of fiction. River City is
fictional. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are
either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a
fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or
dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

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Dedication

To George, who believed in me.

***

Table of Contents

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When Trent Callahan brings his
dinosaur-loving son to the River City Museum, Cassie Jones, curator
of the museum, falls head-over-heels in love with the boy and his
father. But Cassie's love drags Trent deep into her tangled web of
city politics, drives a wedge between him and his mom, and shows
him that history is far from boring and dreams are worth
chasing.

Widowed at nineteen, Trent has been a model
father to his son, thanks to the help of his mom, but his mother
doesn't like the idea of her son falling for Cassie. Determined to
break them up, his mom is going to do anything she can to protect
her son, grandson, and herself from interference by another
woman.

Does Trent dare to find personal happiness
and dream once again? Or is life going to hold him to the
grindstone he set in motion as a teen? Except this time, he has a
son's heart to consider.

~~1~~

Trent Callahan intended to fill the day with
a few pleasant memories of his four-year-old son, and he was not
about to have this day ruined over false advertising. He brought
his son to see dinosaurs, and the child was going to see them.

He strode into the room to have a word with the
museum curator, but what he saw made him want to gag. Mummified
remains of small animals seemed to be everywhere, and in the middle
of all of it was an Oshkosh-clad young woman with white-blonde
hair. Trying not to stare at the dead creature next to him, he held
his son's hand a little tighter as he cleared his throat. "Excuse
me. I was told I'd find the curator in here. It's quite obvious
that no one in this place seems to know anything."

The young woman rose from her crouched
position and smiled. Her eye color matched the denim blue of her
overalls. Pulling a pair of gloves off and extending her hand to
him, she politely answered, "I'm Cassandra Jones, the curator. How
may I help you?"

Taken aback, he hesitated, then took her hand.
Standing there without a trace of makeup, she looked very young,
except for the crinkles around her eyes. He stammered, "You're the
curator?"

"Yes. Again, how may I help you?"

"We came to see the dinosaur exhibit, and I'm
being told we can't go into those rooms."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. The exhibit officially
opens to the public tomorrow. Tonight is the Dino Tread."

"I can't afford to come back tomorrow. I took
today off from work to bring my son. According to the billboard,
the exhibit opens today."

Tears were brimming in the child's eyes.

"I understand the confusion. The posters are
more accurate than that billboard. Give me a moment to finish," she
replied with a broader smile, which made the lines around her eyes
more noticeable.

He watched as she returned to what she was
doing when he walked into the room. It was as if she were ignoring
him, and his blood boiled. He looked down at Shawn, whose eyes were
washed in tears that were starting to spill. "Don't cry, Shawn," he
whispered. "I didn't pay all this money for you to miss seeing the
dinosaurs. You're going to see them."

"Daddy, I don't like these ugly things."
Shawn pointed to a blacken figure. "I don't want to stay here."

Trent scooped his son into his arms. "It's
okay, they aren't going to hurt you."

The woman stood and then grabbed her keys off
a shelf. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting." She reached up
and touched the boy's arm. "What's your name?"

"Shawn,” the boy replied shyly.

"That's a wonderful name for a handsome young
man." She gazed up at Trent and blushed. "He's as handsome as his
father. Follow me." They walked out of her office and down the
hallway. "What's your favorite dinosaur, Shawn?"

"Tyrannosaurus." The boy bared his teeth and
held out his hands to claw at the air.

She laughed. "That was a mean one, but not
the meanest." At the end of the hall, she ushered them through a
door marked for employees only. The office was small, and there was
an older women sitting behind the desk. "I need two guest passes
for tonight's event. Seat them at my table." Thanking the woman for
the tickets, she set out on another trek through the museum. She
inserted a key into a door. "Please return tonight as my special
guests." She handed Trent the two passes. "I'm sure Shawn will
enjoy the evening. It's geared for children and their family."

Trent could feel the anger slipping away as
she smiled at him. Those tickets were worth almost as much as he
made in a week, and her bright, friendly smile seemed genuine.
Suddenly, he felt as if he were being asked on a date, and he knew
he had to respond. He lowered his son to the floor, as she opened
the door and flipped on some overhead lights. He swallowed and then
answered, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Shawn's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wow!
Real dinosaurs!"

“You’ll see the whole exhibit tonight. There
will be an hour tour of the exhibit and then dinner. Afterwards, we
have several special educational events with lots of hands-on fun
crafts. It’s all in the brochure with your tickets. If Shawn is
allowed to stay up extra late, he can view the dinosaur movie. It
starts at eight fifteen and runs for an hour and twenty
minutes.”

Trent smiled at the curator and nodded, but
suddenly his stomach filled with butterflies. It seemed as though
he was back in junior high, and Cassandra Jones was the prettiest
girl in class. He got a grip on his waning confidence and shoved
his shoulders back, as he stood a little straighter. “I’ll be here
at…” He looked at the brochure in his hands. “Five.”

“Come a few minutes early. And you never gave
me your name.”

“Trent…Trent Callahan.”

The woman's eyes grew wide. “Shawn Callahan?
This is the famous Shawn Callahan?”

“I wouldn’t say famous.”

“It’s your son who is in need of heart
surgery, right?”

“Yes. It’s scheduled for June first.” He
could feel the broad smile as it crossed his face. “Riverton
Chemicals and Petroleum raised the rest of the money he
needed.”

“He looks perfectly healthy.”

“It’s a tough battle to keep him that way.
The surgery will give him the opportunity to live a normal
life.”

“Do you know Tate Bia?”

He nodded. “Yes. She’s been very active in
helping to raise the money for Shawn.”

“She’ll be here tonight.”

“I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for what
she’s done. She’s a friend of one of my neighbors, and her father
is part of the team of doctors who will be doing the surgery.”

Shawn tugged on his dad’s pants and, in a
panicked whisper, said, “I need to tinkle.”

The lovely blonde gazed at the little boy.
“Follow me.”

“Sorry. One of his meds creates an
urgency.”

“The mens room is right there. I’ll see you
this evening.”

***

Trent stood in front of his closet. He didn’t
have many choices for clothes. Six work uniforms hung in a row, two
dress shirts, two pairs of casual pants, and his one and only suit
in dark navy blue. He withdrew the suit and stared at it before
laying it across the foot of the bed. “Shawn? Where are you?”

“In here, on my bed.”

He grinned as he opened his son’s door. The
boy was looking at the pictures of dinosaurs in the latest book
he’d borrowed from the local library. “I want you to get dressed in
your Sunday clothes. You’re going to see the real things
tonight.”

“I know. I can’t wait. Do I have to take a
bath first?”

“No, just brush your teeth and wash up. We
can do it together. You can even use some of my aftershave.”

Following his dad into the small bathroom,
Shawn stood on the toilet and put first one knee and then the other
on the edge of the sink so he could reach into the cabinet. It was
his job to put the toothpaste on the brushes. Together they brushed
their teeth. Then his father allowed him to use a little shaving
cream and a razor without a blade. When they were done, they washed
their faces and Shawn mimicked his dad by rubbing his fingers over
his jaw.

“I think you’ve got it, son. Doesn’t look as
if you’ve left a single whisker.”

Shawn grabbed his father’s face and inspected
it carefully. “How come we have to get all dressed up?”

“There’s going to be a lot of people there
tonight with money. We’ve got to look our best, and we want to look
nice for Ms. Jones, being we’re her guests.”

“I think she’s pretty.”

“I agree.” Trent put a few drops of
aftershave into the boy's hand. "Rub your hands together before you
put it on your face.

A few minutes later, both males were dressed
and Trent was trying to decide which tie to wear.

“Daddy, wear this one. Grandmom gave this one
to you at Christmas, and you’ve never worn it.”

“Guess it doesn’t matter.” He took the
colorful paisley tie from his son, wrapped it around his neck, and
tied it in a full Windsor knot. “What do you think?”

Shawn smiled at his father. “You’ll look
perfect, once you put your shoes and socks on.”

Trent looked at his bare feet and then at his
son. “I’d say you look quite dashing.”

“Do I need to wear a tie, too?”

Trent shook his head. “Nah, you’re fine. She
said there are crafts and games for you tonight.”

“I can’t wait.”

“I know you’re excited, but try to stay calm.
We don’t want any extra strain on your heart.”

Shawn looked down at his feet, rocked back on
his heels, and lifted his toes off the floor. “I know.”

“I’ll fix you a quick snack so you can take
your medicine.”

“Will I always have to take medicine?”

“You mean after the surgery?” Trent slipped
his sock-covered feet into his dress loafers.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and
see.”

“Dr. Ramsey said I’ll be able to do
everything including soccer.”

“He also said you’ll be in therapy for a
while. Kitchen.” He pointed to his bedroom door.”

“I know.”

***

Cassie checked everything very carefully. The docents
were arriving, and the magician was setting up for his show. The
catering company had pulled up to the back door and had begun to
bring in their trays of food. She was feeling more like a traffic
cop than a museum curator, but the Dino Tread was hopefully going
to be the biggest moneymaker for the small museum. Tickets had been
sold in advance, and they sold out quickly. She would have found
the situation to be almost comical, except that she was still
standing there in her overalls, looking more like something that
had been dragged from an alley. Surprise and relief flooded her
system when she spotted her friend, Tate Bia. “Oh, am I glad to see
you. Will you help?”

“Certainly. That’s why I’m here. What can I
do for you, Cassie?”

“Cover for me. I’ve got to get dressed!” She
pulled at the bib of her Oshkosh.

“Go!” Tate laughed.

“If you need anything, ask Mrs. Winston.”
Cassie called, as she scurried towards her office.

“I’m fine. Make yourself beautiful for
tonight!”

Cassie vanished behind her office door.
I
didn’t need those mummies delivered this morning. My own curiosity
got the better of me.
She flew through her main office and into
the private bathroom, where she’d hung her zippered garment bag
that contained her clothes for this evening. It only took her a few
minutes to put on her China-blue, silk dress with matching
heels.