A Ready-Made Family

He eyed them. The little girl was a cutie. The teenager clearly had an attitude, considering the way she thrust her chin and glowered at him, the sun glinting off the silver stud pierced beneath her lower lip.

She made a choking sound and pressed the back of her hand to her nose. Black polish was chipping off her nails. Around one thin wrist was a wide leather band, heavy chain link on the other. “That smell. I can’t stand it.”

Lia frowned. “Sam, don’t be rude.”

“But, Mom, he reeks.” The girl gagged, then gagged again with her hand pressed over her mouth. “Gross. It’s making me sick.” She turned and ran off. They heard the car door slam.

“That was Sam,” Lia said. “Samantha. She’s fourteen with a vengeance.”

“Needs a paddling.”

Lia’s words popped like mortar fire. “I don’t hit my kids. Violence solves nothing.”

Jake shrugged. “That depends on the situation.”

“You’re the soldier, then.”

“The soldier?”

“Rose told me. One brother in the Army, one brother…” She trailed off as if embarrassed.

Jake gave her a look. “In the big house.”

“Where’s the big house?” the little girl asked. She pointed. “That one?”

“A different kind of house, honey.”

“Prison,” Howie said. He was looking at Jake with the same rounded eyes his mother used. “Were you in combat?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going back?”

“I’m retired now.”

Howie squinted. “You don’t look that old.”

“I’m thirty-nine. Old enough to retire from the Army. I enlisted when I was eighteen.”

“My mom got married when she was seventeen.”

“Oh?” Jake watched the emotion that crossed Lia’s face before she felt his interest and made herself go blank. He directed his comment at her. “You went through a different kind of combat, huh?”

She let out a little snort. “You could say that.”

“We’re divorced from Daddy,” piped up Kristen Rose.

Lia clenched her hands. “I’m divorced, not you kids.”

“Then when can we see Daddy again?”

“I don’t know.” Lia evaded Jake’s curiosity by reaching for the discarded clothing. She got one whiff and dropped the garments. “The smell is really bad, even on Howie. We’re going to have to do something about it or we won’t be allowed into a motel.”

The boy cocked his head. “A motel? But—”

“Hush, Howie. We’re going to a motel.” Lia sent a distracted but apologetic smile at Jake. “We’ve caused enough trouble for Mr. Robbin.”

Jake knew that he ought to keep his mouth shut and let them leave. He wanted them to go. He had big plans for the place and he surely didn’t want to work around the distraction of three kids and a needy woman. Only the thought of Rose scolding him for being a bad host in her stead made him speak up. “You’re going to run off and leave me stinking like this?”

Lia showed surprise. “Well, of course I’d like to help, but I don’t know what I can—”

“I know,” Howie said. “We have to take baths in tomato juice.”

“Sounds kind of icky, but if you want to try it…” Lia looked at Jake. “Do you have any tomato juice?”

He thought of the nearly bare cupboards and fridge. Chili and beans, a few cans of tuna. Beer, mustard, ketchup. “I sincerely doubt it.”

“I, um, I guess I could go to the store.”

Jake had heard the racket when they drove up. That car shouldn’t go anywhere until he’d taken a look at the engine and the brakes. “You can take my truck.”

Lia hesitated, looking worried. “All right.” She reached for her daughter’s hand, protective as a mama bear. “We’ll all go to the store for tomato juice.”

“I’m staying here with Jake,” Howie announced.

“Oh, no, you’re not.”

Jake tightened his jaw and kept silent. For about two seconds. Then he glanced at Howie’s hopeful face. “It’s okay. He can stay.”

The boy beamed.

Shit, Jake thought, but mostly out of habit. “He reeks too much to go in my truck.”

Howie sniffed himself. His narrow chest expanded. “Yeah, I reek.”

Lia aimed the big blues at Jake. “Are you sure?”

He scowled, not used to being questioned. “I know my own mind.”

“Lucky you.”

Lucky? “And I don’t say what I don’t mean.”

Her stare became skeptical. “That must be interesting.”

“Not so much. I also know when to keep my mouth shut.”

“Huh. There’s a talent.”