Substitute Father

“Hmm,” she responded, her eyes on a girlish, pink model.

“Don’t you agree?”

Kealey held up the one she’d been eyeing. “Well, actually, I think Hannah might prefer something like this. It’s probably closer to the kind the girls carry.”

He studied it. “Do you think she’ll really care?”

Kealey’s throat tightened, remembering how desperately she had wanted to fit in with the other girls when she’d been growing up, how impossible that had been. Her clothes and accessories had screamed outsider as clearly as a label would have.

Luke reached for the pink backpack, then met her gaze. “If you think she’d like this one, we’ll get it. Now, what about Troy?”

Amazed that he’d so willingly accepted her advice, she felt an unexpected warming, a rush of appreciation for a man so tuned in to children.

Together they located a backpack emblazoned with a cartoon-character for the youngest child.

Luke held up the two smaller backpacks. “I have to admit you’re right. The kids will like these much better than the plain variety.” Then he glanced at the sturdy, but unimaginative one he’d selected for the oldest child. “Now, we have to find another for Brian as well.”

She smiled. “Since you were able to deal with the pink, girly model, I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble with one for Brian.”

He winced. “I guess I thought that since I have such a big family this stuff would come naturally. But I see the benefits of the female influence.”

She kept her smile benign. “Luckily, you have lots of sisters.”

He rolled his eyes. “With too many instructions.”

“Even Rachel?”

“She’s not so bad,” he admitted. “Since we’re younger, we both got the brunt of our older sisters’ bossiness so we kind of stuck together.”

Kealey managed a smile, envying his easy sense of family, the solid reassurance that never failed. A few bossy siblings sounded like a blessing. But Luke wouldn’t understand that. “So you and Rachel are allies?”

Smiling, he nodded. “Absolutely. How about you? Do you have a special brother or sister?”

Kealey shook her head at the question, having learned long ago how to reply to such questions without revealing her feelings. At the same time, she knew the conversation was becoming too personal and she needed to put immediate distance between them. And she was fairly certain Luke would be difficult to dissuade. “That’s my pager.”

Distracted, he glanced at her purse. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“It vibrates,” she fibbed. “Looks like you’re finished here and I’ve got to get back to work.”

“But—”

“You’ve made some great choices. I’ll be in touch within a short time.”

“Kealey, you don’t have to—”

“Bye,” she called back, escaping. Glancing back briefly, she saw him standing there staring, his arms filled with backpacks.

It was her own fault, she realized. She shouldn’t have gotten into such a revealing conversation with him. Of course it would lead to questions. And he wouldn’t understand the answers. Worse, despite years of counseling that had supposedly taught her how to deal with her past, she couldn’t bear to share it.

THE FIRE ROARED, not a timid pile of skinny sticks, but huge, dry logs that crackled and warmed. It was one of the advantages of Luke’s old Victorian house. The fireplaces were enormous—immense grand spaces intended to heat the home. Not that it got terribly cold in their part of Texas, but the Victorians hadn’t done anything by halves.

“We built a good fire, huh, Luke?” Brian asked.

“Yep.” He grinned, thinking he would be up late making sure it was out. But the kids had loved building the fire and he hated to spoil their fun.

“We never had a fireplace,” Troy told him.

“Lots of people don’t,” Luke replied. “This house is so old, it was built before central heating.”

“I like your house,” Hannah said softly. “It’s like dress up and make-believe.”

Oh, this child was a charmer, Luke realized. They all were.

The doorbell rang, breaking their quiet circle.

Opening the door, he was surprised to find Kealey. It was the first time he’d seen her since she had vanished so abruptly in the store. “Hello.”

“Luke,” she replied, gripping her purse tightly.

He opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

Leading the way into the living room, he glanced back, noting the apprehension on her face. Grimly he wondered if she had bad news.

But when she entered the room, her face softened. “What a magnificent fire.”

“One of the advantages of an old, drafty house.”

Luke’s dogs greeted her with wet noses and wagging tails. Some of her stiffness evaporated as she petted them, returning their affectionate greetings.

The children spotted Kealey just then, however. While Troy and Hannah remained relaxed, Brian’s smile fled, replaced by wariness.

She glanced at Luke, then back at the children. “Hi! I’m here to see how you’re getting along at the new school.”

“It’s okay,” Brian replied, not surrendering any of his trepidation.

“I like it,” Hannah announced. “I got new crayons to put in my backpack.”

Luke took Kealey’s elbow. “Let’s sit down.”

Since the children were grouped into a semicircle in front of the fire, he and Kealey sat on the couch angled close to them. His cats were splayed out across the top of the cushioned back, regally surveying the visitor.

“So, tell me about your classes and your teachers,” Kealey began.

With a long-suffering expression, Brian answered for them all. “It’s sort of like our old school. But the stuff we’re learning in my class seems kind of different.”

“Has it been difficult for you to catch on?” Kealey asked.

“Nah. Luke’s been helping me.”