Hometown Holiday Reunion (7 page)

“Sure.” Parker slipped his backpack to the floor and dropped the sleeping bag on top of it. Clearly excited, he gazed up at Cam eagerly. “What do I do?”

“Take this—” Cam handed him the tabbed end of the tape measure “—and walk over to that far wall.”

Parker complied, stopping when he reached the other end of the room. Then he came back and asked, “What now?”

“What number's on the tape?”

Something akin to panic seized the boy's face, and he visibly gulped. “You want me to do that? Isn't it kinda important to get it right?”

Cam was no expert on children, but he couldn't help thinking this kid was way too serious for someone his age. That was definitely something he could relate to. Then again, he hadn't had the best role model in his own father, so maybe he was wrong.

Following his gut had generally worked well for him, so he decided to try it now. “How old are you?”

“Eight.”

“I'm thinking you learned your numbers in kindergarten. Am I right?”

Parker gave him a crooked grin. “Preschool.”

“That makes you an expert, then.” The boy nodded, and Cam grinned as he tapped the metal tape with his finger. “So look at the number and read it to me. Not so hard.”

In a confident voice, his assistant rattled off a measurement that jibed with Cam's estimate of the distance. “Good job. That's what I got, too.”

“How?”

“It's called a guesstimate. When you do a lot of carpentry and construction work, you kind of get a feel for stuff like this.”

“So, you build things at your job? That's so cool. Grammy got me a building set for Christmas, and there's a whole book full of ideas.” Glancing toward the original hand-drawn plans, he added, “Like those drawings.”

“They're called blueprints,” Cam explained as he let the tape recoil back into its housing. Strolling over, he motioned for Parker to join him. “This is how the builder knows how much material he needs, and what size it should be.”

“Erin says you always need a plan.”

Cam chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

Parker studied him with bright, intelligent eyes. “She said you were friends with the Kinleys. Is that how you know so much about her?”

Cam had heard the fondness in his voice, and he wasn't entirely certain where it had come from. Grasping for a reasonable explanation, he replied, “I guess. We've known each other a long time.”

“I wish I could've grown up here,” Parker commented, looking out the front window with a wistful expression. “The people are real nice.”

Nicer than the ones he'd known before Erin found him, Cam understood without being told. He didn't have a lot of experience with children in general, much less one from a troubled background like Parker, so he wasn't sure what to say. Finally, he settled on, “Yeah, they are.”

“Is that why you came back?”

Drew had told him that Parker wasn't much of a talker, so Cam wasn't prepared for such a personal question. The fact that the shy boy had chosen him for a lengthy conversation made Cam feel proud in a way that he'd never experienced before.

He sat down on the rough-hewn bench that he was using to hold his tool box and patted the seat beside him. Seeing the boy gaze up at him with curiosity lighting his eyes gave Cam a strange feeling he couldn't have described if he'd tried. “Actually, I came because my mom got sick. She used to run the Oaks Café, and since she can't do that anymore, I'll be here helping out until she's feeling better.”

Part truth, part wishful thinking. But the response got a somber nod from his new buddy. “Families should help each other, not hurt each other.”

That was far too serious a thought for someone his age to come up with on his own, and Cam asked, “Who taught you that?”

“The Kinleys. Abby says I'm part of their family now, and they'll always be around if I need them. I like that.”

Cam could easily imagine her saying something like that to lift the spirits of a child who'd been cast aside by his own family. He'd seen Erin's bubbly niece a few times and had noticed how outgoing and confident she was. In a few years, her father, Mike, would have his work cut out for him fending off the teenage boys lining up to take her out. Now that he thought about it, Cam felt sorry for all those boys. Mike was a bear on a good day. Cam hated to consider how tough the no-nonsense horse trainer would be on anyone who expressed a romantic interest in his little cowgirl.

“I had a lotta fun at Gallimore Stables over the years,” Cam said with a smile. “What's your favorite thing to do?”

“I like taking care of the horses and all the animals at the rescue center. We're not allowed to help with the wild ones, but the puppies and kittens are fun. They really like to play.”

“So you like old trucks, animals and building things. Anything else I oughta know?”

Parker mulled that over for a few seconds and shook his head. “I guess that's it.”

“Okay, then, you're hired.”

Cam stuck his hand out, and Parker gave him a quizzical look. “For what?”

“I thought you wanted to pitch in to get Erin's new store put together. Was I wrong?”

“I'm just a kid.”

“I was your age when I started working with my granddad in his shop. He always said there was no better way to learn about something than to just jump in there and figure it out.”

“I'm not allowed to use power tools,” Parker cautioned in a wary tone.

“Got it. Whaddya say?”

This time, the boy slid his hand into Cam's and they shook to seal their deal. “What should I do first?”

The eagerness in his tone made Cam smile. “Go grab a snack and put on whatever you wear when you're doing barn chores. It's about to get messy down here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Parker grabbed his overnight stuff and bolted up the stairs just as Erin was coming down. She flattened herself against the wall until he'd gone past and gave Cam a startled look. “What's gotten into him?”

“I just hired him as my apprentice. He's pretty psyched.” Frowning, she opened her mouth, and he stopped her with a hand in the air. “Before you go all mom-ish on me, I know he's young and can't do a whole lot. I promise that anything I give him will be manageable for someone his age.”

“I do not go ‘mom-ish,'” she shot back, eyes snapping with the quick temper he remembered all too well. “It's my responsibility to keep him safe, Cam.”

Parker's comments about the farm were still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't help grinning. “Does he ride horses with Abby?”

“Yes. Ponies,” she added tartly, as if she'd figured out where his argument was headed.

“Does he ever roughhouse with your brothers or that monster golden retriever, Charlie?” This time, she kept quiet, and he knew he'd made his point. “I promise he won't be doing anything on his own. But since he's on vacation all week, I thought he might enjoy making some money while he learns things they don't teach in school anymore.”

“Well...” Her eyes darted around the evolving construction zone as if they were searching for a reason to nix his idea. Finally, they settled on him and to his surprise, she smiled. “It's a great idea, and I know he'll have a blast. Thank you for thinking of it.”

“No problem.” That didn't seem like enough, and even though it wasn't like him to be so open with people, he decided to share what he was thinking. “It's obvious he's had a tough time, but he really loves you. It can't be easy being a single parent, but you're doing a great job.”

“Mom's a big help,” Erin said with a fond smile. “Abby started calling him her cousin right off, and the boys have been awesome.”

“But?”

She gave him a long, assessing look, and he got the distinct feeling that she was measuring him for something. “He needs a guy that's kind of his, like a big brother or an uncle.”

“You mean, like a father figure?” She nodded, and he frowned. “Considering the example I had, you really think I'm the right choice for that?”

“Just because your dad was a failure doesn't mean you will be, too. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you wound up being a better father because you know what not to do.”

The gentle sympathy in her voice caught him off guard, and he stared at her in amazement. Since she was from such a tight-knit family, he knew Erin didn't say things like that lightly. “You think I'll make a good dad?”

“Someday,” she added hastily, blushing a little before turning away. “With the right person.”

Stunned by her comments, he couldn't come up with a single rational thing to say. The awkward silence felt like it was dragging on, and he was desperately hunting for a way to end it when her cell phone rang.

She checked the caller ID with a worried look before answering. “Hi, Alice. Merry Christmas to you, too. I didn't think we were going to hear from you until after the New Year. What's up?”

Cam moved away to give her some privacy, gathering up his tools as quietly as possible so he wouldn't distract her from what appeared to be a very serious conversation. He glanced over several times, though, and each time she looked more upset. After several minutes, she ended the call and sank down onto the bottom step as if she couldn't stay on her feet another second longer.

“Erin?” She didn't seem to hear him, and he repeated her name a little louder. When those hazel eyes met his, they were filled with something he'd never seen in this brash, forthright woman. Fear.

Hurrying across the room, he settled on one knee in front of her and braced himself for the worst. “What's wrong? Who's Alice?”

After a long delay, Erin gave herself a visible shake and glanced up the stairs. “Not here.”

She stood and walked toward the front door. As he followed her, it occurred to him that she was trying to make sure Parker wouldn't overhear their conversation. As upset as she was, it really impressed him that she could put aside her own distress in an attempt to spare her foster son's feelings.

When they were standing by the front display window, she answered him in a hushed voice. “That was Parker's social worker.”

He realized she was trembling, and he steadied her with a hand on her shoulder. “What'd she say?”

“They found his mother, Lynn,” Erin confided in a miserable whisper. “She's in a women's prison upstate, and she told Alice she wants to meet me.”

That didn't sound like enough to put Erin in such a state, and he gently prodded. “There's something else. What is it?”

“She won't sign off on me continuing as Parker's foster mom until we talk face-to-face.” After a long swallow, she fixed him with a desperate gaze. “What if she hates me? Or worse, what if she wants to give custody of him to someone who mistreated him before?”

Her voice trailed off into a strangled whisper, and tears welled in her eyes. In all the years he'd known her, Cam had never seen her cry. Not when she broke her arm falling out of an oak tree at a church picnic, or even when her date left the prom with someone else. Seeing her on the verge of it now made his heart twist in a way he'd never experienced in his life.

In self-defense, he pushed his swirling emotions aside and did what he always did when faced with a problem. He got practical.

Sitting in the wide bay window, he looked over at her. “Let's think about this. How long is she in for?”

“I don't know.”

“What was she convicted of?” Same answer. “She's the one who left Parker with Child Services in the first place, right?”

“I don't know,” Erin repeated through clenched teeth. “They didn't offer that information, and frankly I didn't care. He was a kid who needed a loving home, and I wanted to be the one to give it to him.”

She had stunningly few details about the boy she'd taken in, and Cam wasn't sure what to make of it. This wasn't a stray kitten or raccoon, which she'd rescued plenty of when they were kids. Parker was someone else's child, and apparently he'd come with a lot of baggage. Still, Cam couldn't help admiring her for what she was trying to do. It took a lot of courage to have a tender heart in such a tough world.

“Okay,” he said, making up his response as he went along. “So she's been convicted of something bad enough to land her in prison. Based on what I've seen and heard, I think it's safe to assume that even if she didn't abuse Parker herself, she stood by while someone else did.”

“That tracks with things he's told me.”

Just thinking about what he must've been through made Cam's blood simmer. “Who could raise a hand against such a bright, friendly kid?”

“When he first came to live with me, he couldn't even look me in the eye. He only started calling me Erin a couple of weeks ago. It was the best Christmas present I ever got.”

She added a smile that brought out the dimple in her left cheek. He remembered teasing her about it when they were younger, asking where she'd lost the right one. After a blistering glare, she'd smacked him in the chest and stalked away with her cute little nose in the air.

Where did that image come from?
he wondered briefly before tucking it back into his small bank of good memories. The fact that a confrontation with her was there at all meant something, but right now he had other things that needed his attention.

“So,” he continued in the tone he normally reserved for difficult subcontractors, “she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on if she wants to influence what happens to him.”

“She's still his mother. Before I got into this, I asked the judge about her rights versus mine. He said that unless she legally signs away her parental interest, she can exercise it anytime she wants.”

“I don't speak legalese,” he grumbled. “What does that mean?”