A Deliberate Father

But when Mary had sworn things were going better with her marriage, Nell let herself be convinced and had agreed to go away for that long-delayed weekend with her boyfriend, Barry. She hadn’t been there when Mary needed her the most, and her sister had died. Nell intended to make up for that mistake until her last breath, but she still didn’t think it would be enough.

Strike two. It had happened before. People she loved had died because she’d let them down. It was never going to happen again.

She stuck her hands in her pockets and rolled back on her heels. Her life was one big complicated mess. And getting worse by the minute.

Tanner strode out of his apartment at the same time Jacob returned with the milk. His “Thanks, man,” earned him a big grin from her little boy.

Jacob hitched up his jeans. “Need any help, Nell?”

Her heart softened at his manly offer. “I’ll manage. Thanks. Can you keep an eye on Lacey for a few minutes?”

“Sure thing. See ya, Mr. Tanner.”

“Jacob?” Jacob turned back to Tanner.

“Yeah?”

“Call me Jordan, okay, pal?”

If his grin got any wider, Jacob’s face would split. “Sure thing, Mr.—Jordan.”

Nell watched with envy as the two males exchanged a look. She’d spent the past two years trying to coax Jacob out of his shell. She knew he loved her and had learned to trust her, but what had just passed between Jordan and Jacob was different. Obviously, she hadn’t been born with the right equipment to earn that kind of connection. While it wasn’t fair, it was also worrisome. Tanner was looking to make a fast buck, not lifelong friends.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Wearing a white T-shirt that clung to well-defined muscles, Tanner smiled down at her. Hard to tell the man made a living behind a desk. Why couldn’t he have been fat and balding? Have bad teeth, bad breath? Anything. He was too perfect for his own good.

Nell sighed in defeat, led the way to the front door of the house and pulled a key ring from her pockets.

“The house has its own well,” she explained as she unlocked the door. “We’re just outside village limits. If the tenants take everyone’s needs into consideration, it works out okay.” She switched on the basement light and started down the stairs, Tanner so close on her heels, she felt heat from his body.

“What does that mean?”

“It means if you want to do laundry, it’s better to wait until the middle of the day when most of us are gone.”

“Let me guess, Mrs. Trembley.”

Oh, no, she wasn’t giving Tanner any ammo to evict the old gal. Mrs. T. barely got by as it was. She’d never find another apartment for four hundred a month. Ignoring him as best she could, Nell switched on the light in the dark corner where the pump was installed.

“This will only take a minute. Why don’t you look around? The foundation’s not bad for being over a hundred years old.”

“I want to see what you’re doing in case I ever have to fix the pump.”

Nell swore under her breath as he crowded in after her. “You open this valve and let the air escape for a few minutes. Once the water starts coming out, you close the valve and hope there’s enough in the well to bring the pressure up.”

Tanner stood at least a foot above her, his broad shoulders blocking most of the light. If he’d been anyone else, she’d have elbowed him to get him to back off. But he was her landlord and part-time employer. And yeah, his heat warmed her in places she’d been cold for what felt like forever. He smelled good, too. Damn it.

She closed the valve when the water spurted into the bucket she’d left the last time she’d had trouble. “Okay, show’s over. Can you back up? I’m suffocating in here.”

In the dim light she saw him grin. “Is that what you call it?”

She followed as he squeezed out of the narrow space, tension stiffening her spine. She needed to set Tanner straight right now. She took care of the building. That was it. Being the landlord did not come with fringe benefits. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got kids. I can’t afford to fool around.”

His gray eyes darkened, his gaze straying to her midsection and staying there. She tried not to squirm as heat coiled in her belly. She was wearing overalls, for heaven’s sake. Overalls. Was the man sex deprived?

“I didn’t figure you for a coward.” As his voice slid over her, she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. They were so not going to happen.

“Listen, Tanner. You seem like a nice man, but you’re not getting it. Jacob and Lacey have had a rough life. I know you’re not planning on being around for long, and I’m asking you to not get too close to them. Or me. You’ll only end up hurting them if you do.”

JORDAN’S HEAD JERKED BACK as if she’d slapped him. Man, Miss Nellie didn’t believe in dressing up her message. Which could be an asset in certain situations. But not when he’d been about to make a move on her. First it was the glimpses of her smooth, flat belly that had him salivating, then he’d fixated on her ears. They were tiny and pink and damned near perfect. He wanted to explore…everything about her. She fascinated him.

Thank goodness one of them was thinking straight. She had kids. Period. He was out of here as soon as the house sold, and he wasn’t looking for a ready-made family. Not that Lacey and Jacob weren’t nice kids. Having only known them a day, it surprised him how often they popped into his head. He thought about their mother more, especially about what she wore under her overalls. Each time he caught himself thinking about Nell, he tried to turn it off, but there was something about her that made him a little crazy. He needed to get his priorities straight; he’d never had trouble focusing on his goals before. He’d clawed his way out of his childhood, and he planned to keep on climbing until…well, he’d know when he’d arrived.

Jordan put his hands up in surrender. “Message coming through loud and clear. You’re right. They’re good kids, and I don’t want to hurt them. Or you.”

He pivoted away and studied the rock walls of the basement. It was one thing to lust after Miss Nellie, another thing entirely to get caught up in her problems.

“Good to know you don’t have anyone stashed down here,” he said in an attempt to lighten the mood. When she chuckled, he felt a spurt of pride, as if he’d accomplished something important.

“I’d like to have my own set of keys to the house,” he added as he followed her up the stairs a few minutes later.

She hesitated for a brief second before continuing on. “Of course. I think I still have Beulah’s set somewhere.”

“I’d also like to have a look at the books.”

She came to a dead stop and turned around. “What books?”

“Your operating budget. You know, expenses, the rent collected.”

“Oh, that. Terry Folger takes care of the rent money, and when I need cash to fix something, he gives it to me. I’ll give you his number.”

Of course Beulah wouldn’t let just anyone handle the money. What had he been thinking? She may have been eccentric, but according to his mother, Beulah had been canny about money. If Folger measured up to his standards, all he had to worry about was the non-paying tenants, the low rents. Repairs. Might as well find out exactly what he was up against right away.

“I haven’t had a chance to look around outside. Are there any outbuildings?”

“An old garage in the backyard. I store the lawn mower and yard tools in it. Oh, and the occasional alien. Would you like to see it?”

He laughed and opened the door for her. There were three vehicles in the driveway on this side of the house; a red Toyota Yaris, a gray Ford sedan and a battered old quarter-ton pickup truck. Not hard to guess who drove the truck.

“Yours?” He kicked the front tire as they walked past.

“Bought and paid for.” She hesitated at the corner of the house. “I, uh, dug up the backyard when I first moved in. Beulah didn’t mind.”

Jordan was struck speechless when he rounded the corner of the house. Nell had turned the yard into a paradise. He didn’t know much about flowers, but even he recognized a marigold when he saw one. Bright yellow and orange marigolds rimmed a tomato patch. When he bent down, he saw several ripe tomatoes peeking out from under dark green leaves. Lacey waved to him from a swing that hung from an old oak in the far corner. Beside her, water trickled over a small man-made—or woman-made—waterfall. Sitting on a wood bench beside the waterfall, Rodney stopped cleaning his fingernails with his jackknife to nod at Jordan. Sunflowers lined the back wall of the house.

The sun warmed his back, and tension he hadn’t realized he was carrying slid off his shoulders.

“You did all this?” Miss Nellie was an artist in her own right.

She nudged the loose soil with the toe of her sneaker. “It took me two years. Rodney’s been helping lately. He used to be a farmer. “

“Hey, Jordan.”

Jordan looked up into the canopy of green oak leaves. Jacob was lying on what appeared to be a small front porch of a half-built tree house.

Nell had built a paradise for her kids. And she was willing to share it with a man like Rodney? The hair on the back of his neck rose. What did she know about the guy? He looked like he belonged in a hospital, or, God forbid, that street corner in Seabend where all the winos hung out. The more Jordan looked at him, the more he was convinced he recognized him. He passed that corner several times a week when he was jogging.

He grabbed Nell’s elbow and propelled her toward the garage, a generous name for the decrepit structure. “Let’s check out those aliens.”

“No problem.” She pulled the keys out again and unlocked the side door. The garage was dim with light trickling in from one dusty window and the open door behind him. Crammed full with bits and pieces of everyone’s lives, plus the requisite lawn mower and tools, there was barely enough room for him and Nell to stand inside.

“What’s the story on Rodney?” he asked.

“Oh.” Nell plucked a rag from a basket beside her and started wiping down an old dresser that was missing one drawer. “He’s been sick, but he’s getting stronger every day.”

“I can see he’s ill. Where does he live?”

She chucked the rag back into the basket and met his glare straight on. “He was living on the streets in Seabend, but he was sick. So I brought him home and let him stay in your room for a few days. Like I said, he’s getting better. He’ll move on soon. He’s not one to accept charity lightly.”

Jordan suppressed the urge to shake some sense into her. Didn’t she know what kind of people lived on the streets? “You brought a bum home and let him stay? Are you crazy? He could be a serial killer for all you know.”

“He’s a sweet man who recently lost his wife of forty years and can’t stand to go home.”

“You knew this before you brought him here?”

“Some of it. I knew him years ago. My parents had a convenience store, and he used to sell eggs to them.”

A tenuous connection at best. “He has to go, Nell.”

Nell leaned forward and pushed the door shut. “Let him stay for a couple more weeks, just until he’s stronger. I’ll…I’ll make it up to you.”

Jordan’s black mood lifted. Negotiations. Home ground for him. Once he finished with Nell, he’d drill Rodney about who he was and why he was hanging around Dunstan Lane. “How?”

Nell’s eyes went a little wild, then she settled. “I’ll cook you supper for the next two weeks. I’m a good cook.”

He folded his arms over his chest and tried his best not to smile. Nothing sweeter than having the upper hand. “Not good enough. What else?”

“I’ll do your laundry. And clean your room.” She murmured the last under her breath.

“Deal.” He stuck out his hand and shook hers. He knew when not to push too hard and by the murderous look in her eye, he’d reached her limit. “You can start today. My room stinks.”

“I can’t. I have to go to work.”

“I thought you were at work.”

“I have another job at a garden center. I try not to work weekends, but I couldn’t get out of it this time. They close at seven on Saturdays, but maybe I can clean your room after the kids are in bed.”

Jordan bit back a curse. He hadn’t realized Nell worked another job. He’d thought…he hadn’t thought, had he? He didn’t know the first thing about her. “Forget the room and laundry. But just so we understand each other, no more strays. This is not a charitable enterprise.”

“Gotcha.” She looked so downcast, he wondered who else she’d planned to drag home. Taking advantage of an absent landlord was no laughing matter, especially if you were the landlord. So why did he feel like laughing? It was going to be a challenge keeping up with Nell. Good thing he thrived on challenges.

“How many jobs do you have?”

“Just the garden center and here.”

Neither of which put much money in her pocket. This was the perfect opportunity to see how he could help her move on to something new. “If you had your pick, what would your dream job be?”

Nell leaned against the dresser and hooked her thumbs inside her overalls. “That’s easy. Farmer.”

“Farmer?” Of course he knew somewhere out there farmers were hard at work, but it had never occurred to him anyone actually aspired to be one.

“I’m hoping once the kids get a bit older, I can rent an old farm and start growing herbs. I want to make tinctures and essential oils and dried herbs. Teas, too.” She glowed as she listed the products.

“Herbs,” he repeated.

“Like oregano and sage. You do know what herbs are, don’t you?”

“Of course. I just… Is there a market for those products? Can you make a living growing that sh…stuff?”

She shot him an incredulous look. “Where have you been, Tanner? People are crazy about them.”

In whose universe? Certainly not his. Why did people always think starting a business was easy? “Have you thought about the business side of this venture? How much land would you need? How would you get your product to market? Who’s your target group?”

She beamed up at him. “I have a business plan. Maybe you could look at it. You’d probably have some great ideas. This is wonderful. Rodney’s going to make me a still, and you can iron out the wrinkles in my business plan. I knew it was all going to come together for me. I just didn’t think—”

“Hold on. Back up a minute. What’s this about a still? Isn’t that illegal?”

“I don’t think so.” She dug a small notebook out of her back pocket and jotted something down. “I’ll have to check on that, but I think it’s more what you make with the still than the actual equipment. Like hemp oil. That would probably be illegal.”

Jordan swallowed a surge of panic. “Please tell me you’re not growing that stuff here.”

She glanced up from her notes. “What stuff?”

“Marijuana.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the adoption.”

“Adoption?”

She stared at him for a minute, looking as confused as he felt. “I forgot you don’t know about that. Lacey and Jacob are my sister’s children. She died in a car accident two years ago, and they’ve been living with me ever since. The adoption is all set to go through. Their father, Tony, he’s making a few waves, but I think it’s going to be okay. We just have to get through the next few weeks without any big upsets. It’s going to be okay,” she repeated.

Okay for who? Jordan staggered from one dizzying thought to another. He’d assumed Nell was their mother. Anyone could see she loved the kids. But she wasn’t; she was adopting them. And it all came down to the next few weeks. He got a bad taste in the back of his throat like he did every time a deal started going sour on him. When had the government ever accomplished anything on time? “Exactly when is the adoption set to go through?”

“The social worker said it would be soon. Maybe a month at the most. And then, you know, Tony. I think he’s changing his mind about letting me adopt the kids.” She huddled down into herself. Obviously, things weren’t as okay as she wanted to believe.

“Tony’s the dad?”

“Yeah. Tony Bleecher.”

“Where is he?”

“Jail.” She tried to smile, but failed miserably. “He was drunk, and my sister… I don’t know what happened. She got in the car with him, and they…he…there was an accident. She died. He’s serving five years for drinking and driving causing death, but he’s up for parole soon.”

Getting details from her was like pulling nails out of concrete. “And the kids won’t live with him when he gets out because…?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “Tony’s…different. To meet him you’d think he was a nice guy. He comes from a rich family and is well-educated. But he’s mean beneath the nice-guy act. He’d pinch my sister so hard she’d have a bruise for weeks, but only where no one would see. And if he thought you weren’t important, he’d say things to you, especially if he was drinking. Stuff that would make you feel lousy about yourself even though you knew it wasn’t true. Lacey and Jacob are scared of him. He’s a mean drunk.”

Bile burned Jordan’s throat as he forced his clenched fists open. He hated the thought that anyone, but especially their father, would hurt Jacob and Lacey.

An endless procession of his mother’s boyfriends had tromped through his life, dispensing slaps, punches and toxic comments in their wake. Even now, he could coast along for the longest time, think he’d forgotten the abuse, but the slightest trigger, such as what Nell had just told him, would bring back the appalling helplessness he’d felt as a child.

He took a minute before he spoke; the last thing Nell needed was another angry guy. “So you’re going to adopt them,” he said in a mild voice.

“Yeah. But I love them, too. I want to adopt them.”

How could he possibly sell the house until the adoption went through, and Nell and the kids were safe? Jordan closed his eyes, hoping the whole situation would magically disappear. But a minute later, when he opened his eyes, Nell still looked as though she was expecting her world to bottom out. Damn it. There had to be another way out of the mess.

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