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.“I’ll take very good care of the little guy,” Will told her.“Yeah, he will!” Daisy said, and Becky wondered if the child knew how to speak without yelling.“Uncle Will taught us to swim and ski and now we’re on the ski team at school,” Sasha joined in.Becky was fast running out of excuses.“I can’t understand why a man would want to spend his days caring for a young boy,” she said directly to Will.“Fathers do it all the time.”“You’re not his father,” she hissed and drew him aside.“He needs a male role model.”“And someone who vandalizes expensive equipment is a suitable one?”Will shrugged.“Aside from that.C’mon, Your Honor, you’re the one who said I need a paying job to make me respectable.”“I didn’t mean a job working for me.”“Tell you what, I’ll work free for the first week.If you don’t like how I do things, you can send me on my way, no hard feelings.”“Your offer is tempting.However, the answer is still no.It wouldn’t be appropriate.”Will combed his fingers through his hair and asked, “Does anyone ever measure up to your high standards?”“Excuse me?”“You heard me and you understand me, so stop playing games.I need a job.You need someone dependable to look after Nick.Do the math.”“I…”“Save it.I’ve got a barbecue to run,” he said and stalked off toward the barn.She found Nicolas glaring at her.Sasha and Daisy looked equally forbidding.“What?”“You turned him down, didn’t you?” he demanded.“Of course I did.It wouldn’t be appropriate,” she repeated.“Mom, I’m eight years old.I have an IQ of over two hundred.Trust me to make at least one judgment call about people on my own.” He stalked off after Will.The girls gave her identical death glares, then followed Nicolas.Becky stared openmouthed at three retreating backs.She seemed to be making enemies right, left and center.Perhaps it was time for her and Nicolas to head home.Only she didn’t think he’d obey her and get in the car and she didn’t want to make a scene.“Enjoyin’ yourself, Judge?” Becky spun around.Frank Farquar was grinning at her.“Dunno what you said to Will, but I’ve never seen him so steamed up.”“It’s none of your business, Mr.Farquar.”“Sure it is! This is a small community.We watch out for one another.Will’s hurtin’ and you’re the cause.”“Mr.Far—”“The name’s Frank.Can I buy you a coffee and talk to you for a bit?”“Mr.Farquar, I see quite enough of you and your pig in court.”“Judge, you gotta drop the attitude if you wanna have any friends around here,” he said and gently steered her toward the coffee wagon.“Two lattes,” he ordered without asking Becky what she’d like.While the coffees were being prepared, he said, “Your little boy has taken quite a shine to our Will.’Course, it’s not surprisin’.Everybody calls Will the pied piper of Spruce Lake.”“As I recall, the tale of the pied piper did not have a happy ending.”Frank shrugged.“Wouldn’t know ’bout that.But Will’s always had a way with kids.He’d be good for your boy.”And just how did Frank Farquar know about Nicolas’s plans?“I saw him being picked on when I was passin’ the school week before last,” Frank was saying.“What?”“Calm down.The O’Malley girls came to his rescue.I think young Daisy gave the big kid a black eye and probably some bruised ribs, as well.”“Nicolas was…fighting?” Becky was appalled.What was going on at that school? And why hadn’t the teacher reported it to her?“Nope, your boy wasn’t doing the fightin’, he was the victim.Daisy got the ringleader on the ground and practically had him hog-tied.Sasha told Nicolas to run and he did.Right across the road to the rec center.”Becky was nearly choking with terror.She had no idea the bullying was physical.“Why didn’t you intervene, Mr.Farquar?”He paid for the drinks and handed one to Becky.“I did.I pulled young Daisy off the other kid before she killed him.I figured your boy’d be okay ’cause I saw Will goin’ into the rec center just before the fight started.Johnny wouldn’t dare go after a young’un with Will around.”“You knew Nicolas was my son?”“Not until today.He was gettin’ a bit frantic looking for you earlier.Then I saw you comin’ out of the house with Will and pointed him in your direction.Hope I didn’t interrupt anything?”“Er, no, you didn’t, Mr.Far—Frank.” Becky took a deep breath.“I appreciate your telling me about the bullying.I had no idea Daisy and Sasha came to Nicolas’s rescue.He only said he’d made some new friends at school.”“Firm friends by the looks of it.” Frank sipped at his coffee and gestured at the children heading toward the barn.“You won’t find better folks than the O’Malleys anywhere.Young Will’s always been the one to turn his mama’s hair gray with his antics.But he has a kind heart and would do anything for anyone.With all he’s been doin’ to save the old buildings, you’d think there weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish it all—plus all the other things he does for folks.”“Did he put you up to this?”“Huh?” He stared at her so blankly, Becky conceded she was being unnecessarily suspicious.Yet again.She’d have to go find Will, apologize profusely, then find Nicolas and head home.Where she felt safer.In control.Sighing, she decided to take Will up on his offer—on the probationary basis he’d suggested.She thanked him for the coffee and hurried to the barn and the strains of country-style music.It was filled with people dancing in lines.Reaching a break in the crowd, she spotted Nicolas trying to keep up with the music, Sasha and Daisy on either side of him.They giggled whenever they got the steps wrong and bumped into one another.“Care to try some boot scootin’, Judge?”Becky felt his breath against the back of her neck like a caress.Why was he even speaking to her after the way she’d treated him? She turned and said, “Mr.O’Malley, I owe you an apology.I have it on the highest authority that you’re a decent citizen.”At his raised brows, she hurried on.“And if you can forgive my rudeness, I hope you’ll come and work for me.” Becky had no idea how she’d keep her hands off him if he accepted, but she needed to extend an olive branch, otherwise Nicolas might never speak to her again.And by now she knew enough about Will to admit he probably would be good for her son.“If you promise to stop calling me Mr.O’Malley, I might be persuaded to reconsider.Don’t forget we’ve shared a very heated kiss.” He fanned his face.Which was yet another reason she needed to keep their relationship formal.About to point that out, she realized how controlling she sounded.“All right, Will,” she said instead.“But I insist on paying you, even during your probation.”He clasped her hand and shook it.“Done,” he said and led her onto the dance floor.“I can’t do this!” she protested as he pulled her into the line.“Just follow the people in front of you.”Becky tripped but Will caught her hand and, with his help, she was soon joining in.When the band changed to a slow number, most of the dancers retired to get refreshments.Becky expected Will to draw her into the strains of the Tennessee Waltz.But Sasha bounded up to him.“Can you teach me how to waltz, Uncle Will?”“Sure, sweetie,” he said and, with a shrug of apology to Becky, led Sasha into the middle of the dance floor [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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