“Can I see what you have in that package?” Jared asked as Hannah and Kathleen approached him in the mall.
His daughter’s eyes grew round. She quickly hid the bag behind her back. “No.”
Jared took in her rosy cheeks and knew he had stepped into territory best left to the women. “Did you spend all my money?” That wasn’t a safe question for a man to ask, either, he realized after he’d said it.
“Not yet,” Kathleen said with a laugh. “But if you like what Hannah wants to buy, yes.”
“You want my opinion?”
“Since you’re paying, Kathleen thought so.”
“Let’s eat first, then I’ll take a look at it. Where do you want to have lunch?”
“The Greasy Spoon,” Hannah said, her face lit with a huge grin.
“What’s that?” asked Kathleen. “I thought I knew most of the restaurants in Crystal Springs. Of course, I’m not sure any place called the Greasy Spoon should be considered a restaurant.”
“It’s fairly new,” Jared answered, starting to walk. “It’s at the other end of the mall. Not bad, if you like fried food. Hence the name Greasy.”
Kathleen fell into step next to Jared with Hannah on her other side. As they made their way to the restaurant, Hannah veered off to the left, pulling her father over to the display window of the toy store.
She tapped the glass near an electronic game station, saying, “I want that for my birthday.”
“That’s not for another six months.”
“Oh, yeah.” Hannah’s shoulders sagged. “You know it might be something you could get both Terry and I for the summer when it’s too hot to play outside.”
Jared pressed his lips together, his eyes dancing with merriment. “You’ve never had trouble finding something to do during the summer before. Why should this summer be any different?”
Hannah opened her mouth to say something, but instead snapped it closed, her expression screwing up into a thoughtful look.
“You could always save your allowance and buy it for yourself.”
The girl brightened for a moment, but the eagerness evaporated when she saw the price. “That’ll take at least six months.”
Jared placed his hand on Hannah’s shoulder and began walking toward the other end of the mall. “Think how much it will mean to you when you finally get it. You could always earn some money. I weeded gardens for my neighbors at your age, which is where I learned to love yard work. I would dust for the Lunds. I walked Mrs. Wilson’s dog for her because she couldn’t. Now that, I loved doing.”
“I could do that. I know Mr. Batchlear can’t take his dog to the park like he used to. Maybe he would pay me to. And I bet I could get someone to let me weed their garden.”
“Actually you could do mine if you want,” Kathleen interjected.
“I can! Great. My first job!” Hannah jumped up and down, her blue eyes sparkling, her ponytail swinging from side to side in her excitement.
At the Greasy Spoon Hannah ran ahead to get a booth in the corner. Jared made his way at a much more subdued pace.
“I’m sorry, Jared. I should have asked you about that first.”
Jared shook his head. “No, I think it’s a great idea. It’ll give her a goal to work toward. I appreciate the offer.”
The grin he sent Kathleen made her heart flip over. She swallowed hard and returned his smile. “And I’ll have someone to weed the beds out front. Usually Mark does it, but he hasn’t shown any interest this summer, and I hate yard work, so this is a win/win solution.”
“Since your problem is solved,” Jared slid into the booth across from Hannah, “maybe you could help me out with a problem.”
“What?” Kathleen sat next to Hannah.
“I need another chaperone for the hiking trip this Saturday with the youth group. Phil has to work and can’t make it. Are you game?”
“Hiking?
“You said you like to do that with your family. Here’s another opportunity to get Mark involved in the youth group and enjoy what I think will be a gorgeous day. The weatherman promises sunshine and mild temperatures.”
“And you believe him?”
“Call me naive, but yes, I do.”
Hannah giggled. “Dad always believes the man on the radio in the morning. Last week he took his umbrella to work and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky all day.”
“Mike Morgan goes to our church. Someone has to support him.”
“You’re a friend no matter what.” That was what Kathleen liked about Jared the most. She hadn’t known him long, but she knew she could depend on him, and right now in her life that was important because of her son.
“I like to think so.”
“Dad, wait till you see the outfit I picked out for church. Kathleen says I look good in it. It’s a yellow-and-orange dress with no icky flowers on it.”
“It’s a dress? The last time you went shopping you told me you didn’t want any dresses.”
“Not for school, but I need one for church. The one I wear is too small. I’m growing up.”
The look of surprise on Jared’s face at Hannah’s declaration brought a chuckle from Kathleen. She didn’t think he was quite prepared for his daughter to turn into a young lady. Her transformation would prove to be interesting to watch. From their conversation today Kathleen didn’t think Hannah was as much a tomboy as Jared thought.
“What else did you find?” Jared flipped open the menu.
Hannah blushed. “Just girl things.” She slipped from the booth, saying, “I’ll be back in a sec,” then headed for the restroom.
“A dress! I’m amazed you got her to agree even to try one on,” Jared said, observing his daughter disappear into the ladies’ room.
“We talked a little bit about how she would change over the next few years and what that meant. We got the sports bra and then a regular one. I stopped to admire some of the dresses and she gravitated toward the yellow-and-orange one. When I suggested she try it on, she did.”
“How come it sounds so simple with you, but when I go shopping with her, it never is that simple?”
“You’re a man.”
“Thanks for noticing,” he said with a wink and a grin.
Now it was Kathleen’s turn to blush. She definitely had noticed. The heat flaming her cheeks went all the way down her neck. She could tell he took pride in keeping himself in good physical shape. With his dark hair and startling blue eyes, women must gravitate toward him. But the thing that made him the most appealing to her, and she suspected others, was his kindness and his caring attitude.
“You’re easy to tease.”
Kathleen pushed away her musings concerning Jared. She had no business thinking of him in any way other than a friend who wanted to help her son. “I told Hannah if she needed me to help her again that I would be happy to.”
“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll encourage her to take you up on your offer.”
“It lets you off the hook.”
“You bet. I get tongue-tied just thinking about shopping with my daughter for more grown-up clothes. It was fine when she liked to dress as a boy, but realistically I know that will change, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Next thing I know some young boy will be coming to the house to take her out on a date. That’s gonna be mighty hard on me.”
“It usually is for dads.”
“But not moms?”
“We know what’s going on in the daughter’s head.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. We know what’s going on in the boy’s head.”
Kathleen laughed. “So it will be easier for you with Terry?”
“You bet. Guys don’t wear makeup and lacy things.”
“I meant what I said to Hannah. I’ll help her whenever she needs it.”
Jared’s gaze shifted to his daughter returning from the restroom. “This dad will be in your debt.”
As Hannah sat down beside her, Kathleen felt the rightness of the situation. She had enjoyed shopping with the young girl. For a few hours she had forgotten her problems with Mark. She had experienced what it would have been like if she’d had a daughter.
Jared made her feel important to his family, a good friend. She needed that in her time of trouble, to keep her focus on what was possible.
Kathleen stood on the edge of the hiking trail and scanned the valley below. Miles of green stretched before her. The tops of the trees gently swayed in the southerly breeze. The sun beat down upon her, chasing away the early-morning chill. When she lifted her gaze, she noticed not a cloud in the azure-blue sky. The scent of pine and earth filled her nostrils with each deep breath she took.
Even though behind her she heard the voices of the teenagers, she cleared her mind and allowed peace to settle over her. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself alone on this mountaintop with not a care in the world.
Someone jostled her. She glanced over her shoulder at a young man as he passed her on the path.
“Sorry, ma’am. Lost my footing.”
“That’s okay.” She fell into step behind him, realizing her moment of daydreaming was over.
“I love hiking up here,” Jared said, coming alongside her on the trail as it widened.
“Makes you feel on top of the world.”
“Makes me feel closer to God. One of the best ways to celebrate His glory is to spend time in the outdoors admiring His work.”
“I’m glad Hannah could come.”
Jared leaned close to whisper, “She heard you were coming and her plans changed.”
Jared’s nearness shivered down her spine. His lime-scented aftershave lotion vied with the outdoorsy scents that enveloped her. “She did?”
“She asked to come along the second I got home that day you two went shopping. I’m surprised she didn’t call me at the office. She was hopping around as though she could barely contain herself.”
Pleased, Kathleen searched the path for the young girl and found her up ahead sandwiched between Shane and Mark. “I think I got more out of the shopping trip than she did. You’ve raised a wonderful daughter.” Again the longing for a large family inundated Kathleen. John and she had tried to have more children, but it had never happened.
“You’ve made quite an impression on her. She’s already canvassed the neighborhood for odd jobs and has gotten three of them besides yours. She’s going to be busy for the next few weeks.”
“Has she started baby-sitting yet?”
“I want her to take the Red Cross course first, then maybe she can sit during the daytime. She needs to be a little older for baby-sitting at night.”
“I was thirteen. When’s the course being taught?”
“In two weeks at the high school. Now she has Terry looking for ways to earn money. My neighbors don’t know what hit them with both my children soliciting odd jobs.”
“Maybe I can come up with something for Terry, too.”
“I don’t want you to go to any extra trouble. You’ve already done so much.”
Kathleen came to a stop on the trail and faced him. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked at him. “What are friends for? Helping each other is part of that. Your children are wonderful.” And this feeling of helping him made their friendship feel more equal, as if she wasn’t always depending on him. That was important to her.
A couple of the teenagers passed them on the path. Jared observed them walk ahead, then started forward, taking up the rear. “I think they are, but then I’m partial. I just want their lives to be as normal as possible. The last few years with Alice were very hard on the family.” Tension took hold of his expression, firming his jawline, sharpening his eyes.
Every time he mentioned his deceased wife, Jared grew taut, stress swirling around him. Kathleen wasn’t even sure he realized it. She suspected it was automatic with him. What little he had told her grieved her. Her marriage had been so different, a true partnership. “Children can often bounce back faster than adults.”
“I’d have to agree with you on that. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover. Watching someone destroy herself and not being able to do anything about it was something I don’t ever want to go through again.”
Kathleen thought of Mark and his behavior lately. Maybe that was the real reason she’d returned home. She didn’t know if she could deal with her son by herself anymore. It was times like this when she missed John the most, and yet the man beside her made her hope that there was a reason behind her son’s changes and they would discover what it was.
The nearest teenager disappeared around a bend. Jared halted his progress and placed a hand on Kathleen’s arm, stilling her movement. His warm touch comforted her, a connection to another who was rapidly becoming important to her.
“I’m glad you could talk Mark into coming today. It’ll give me another chance to see how he behaves with the others.” Jared slid his palm down her arm to grasp her hand. “On the ride in the van he was pretty quiet.”
“I don’t think he said one word.” He linked their fingers together, and Kathleen felt the bond pierce defenses created after John’s sudden death. That scared her. She needed those defenses. When she’d lost John, her life had fallen apart. That wasn’t something she could go through again.
“But then with Shane and Connie monopolizing the whole conversation that would be hard. I don’t think I said much.” Jared held their clasped hands up between them, looking deep into her eyes.
Drawn to him, she leaned closer. Again his distinctive scent surrounded her. “I didn’t notice. I was enjoying the beautiful scenery.” Her words came out in a husky stream while a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach expanded.
“Are you two coming?”
Shane’s loud booming voice split the air and parted Kathleen and Jared. Standing on the trail up ahead were six teenagers all staring at them with broad smiles on their faces. Kathleen hurried forward, her cheeks flaming. She wished she could attribute it to the sun, but she couldn’t, and the kids knew it. In the back of the group of six were Mark and Hannah. Hannah beamed; Mark scowled. He spun about and started along the trail with determination in every stride, his hands clenched at his sides. Hannah took the place next to Kathleen.
“Dad likes you,” the young girl finally said.
“I like your father. He’s a good friend.” The words sounded empty even to her own ears, as though she wished there was much more to the relationship than friendship. She scoffed at that notion. Neither wanted anything but friendship.
“I’m gonna wear my new dress tomorrow to church. Candy says I don’t know how to pick out pretty clothes. I’ll show her.”
“You’ll knock their socks off with that dress.”
“Maybe you could help me pick out another one for school.”
Surprised at the request, Kathleen said, “Sure, when you get ready to go back in August, I can go with you if your dad says it’s okay.”
“He will. He likes you.”
They were back to that again. Kathleen searched for something other than she and Jared to discuss.
“You’re so much easier to talk to than Mrs. Davis,” Hannah said before Kathleen could come up with another topic.
“How long has Mrs. Davis been your housekeeper?” Okay, this subject was a start in the right direction.
“Three years. Mom needed help, so Dad hired Mrs. Davis. She’s okay. She cooks real good, but I bet you cook better. She won’t let me help her in the kitchen.”
“Next week I’m going to be making dozens of cookies for the church bake sale. Maybe you could help me.”
Hannah stopped. “I can?”
“If it’s okay with your—”
“Dad likes you. It’ll be okay.”
Kathleen clamped her lips together to keep from moaning.
“When?”
“Tuesday afternoon.”
“Can we make some peanut butter cookies? They’re my favorite.”
“Sure. I was going to bake several different kinds. Peanut butter will be one.”
“And chocolate chip?”
Kathleen nodded, the young girl’s eagerness catching.
“Sugar, too?”
“That sounds fine.”
The rest of the hike up the trail to the lake nestled between two mountains was filled with Hannah talking about her favorite foods. By the time Kathleen reached their destination, her stomach rumbled with hunger, and she was ready to delve into the sacks and eat lunch an hour early. She leaned back against a tree trunk and surveyed the teenagers as they plopped their backpacks on the ground, then headed for the water.
“I almost came to rescue you.”
Kathleen gasped, so intent on watching Mark standing off by himself that she hadn’t heard Jared approach. “Rescue me?”
“From my daughter. When she gets going, she can talk a person’s ear off.”
“I have to admit I’m starved now. She went from describing her favorite pizza to her favorite dessert. I think she likes ice cream and caramel about as much as I do. I could almost taste the hot caramel double dip sundae she told me was her favorite dessert. Where’s the nearest store?”
His chuckle rippled down her length. “That’s Hannah. I don’t know how she keeps the weight off.”
“Metabolism.”
“That and the fact she can out-play most boys in soccer and baseball.”
“She wants to help me bake cookies Tuesday. Is that all right?”
Jared’s expression brightened, his eyes sparkling like the lake water with the sun glinting off its surface. “I don’t want her to be a bother.”
“She isn’t. I asked her first. I could use the help since I’m going to make five or six dozen cookies.”
“Do you need a tester? I’m quite good at that job.” Jared’s gaze roamed over the teenagers, some at the lake checking the temperature of the water, a few getting their fishing rods ready, others spreading their towels out to sunbathe.
“I bet you are, but the cookies are for the church bake sale so we’ll need some left to sell. By the way what’s for lunch?”
“Ham or turkey sandwiches, chips, apples and guess what?”
“Cookies.”
“You got it. The easiest dessert to transport.”
Kathleen’s gaze found her son among the kids. Alone, he sat on a boulder by the lake and pitched rocks into the water. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and black jeans. She felt hot just looking at the boy with the sun beating down on him.
“After lunch I’m going to organize a soccer game.”
Jared’s announcement focused her attention on him. “Oh, no. Not another sport. I hope you aren’t going to expect me to play. My shoulder is stiffening up as we speak.”
“I learned my lesson last time. You can be a spectator.”
Kathleen released a long, exaggerated sigh. “Good. The hospital is awfully far away. Speaking of lunch—”
“We were?”
“Back a few sentences. When are we gonna eat? I worked up an appetite with all that hiking.”
Jared checked his watch. “It’s not even ten-thirty yet.”
“Time has never played a factor in my eating habits.”
“Can you wait a while longer? Give the kids time to fish, sunbathe, do some exploring.”
Kathleen dug into her backpack. “Luckily I brought an energy bar.” With a flourish she produced it. “Want some? I can half it.”
“I ate breakfast before I left home.”
“So did I. Of course, I only ate part of what I prepared. By the time I got Mark up and getting ready, the eggs had grown cold. I tossed those out. But I was able to finish the toast and orange juice.”
“Mark gave you trouble about coming?”
“Actually not too much. I thought he would bring his sketching pad, but I guess he didn’t.”
Kathleen searched the shoreline for her son. He still sat on the boulder, his arms clasping his raised legs, his head on his knees. He stared at the water as though he were in a trance. Shane called out to him to join him, but Mark ignored his cousin.
“Maybe I can get him interested in the soccer game.”
“Maybe. He used to play a lot until a few years ago. He was very good at defense.”
Suddenly, Mark surged to his feet and clambered down from the boulder. With a quick scan of the area, her son headed for a grove of trees a few hundred feet from them. He was avoiding the other teenagers and going off by himself. She’d thought when her son had agreed to come that he would participate in the activities with the others. Kathleen started forward, worry weaving through her.
Jared stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Let me talk to him. We haven’t had much time to get to know each other. I’ll give him a few minutes then head that way. By the time we return, we can start laying out lunch.”
Biting her thumbnail, she watched Mark disappear into the shade of the trees. Part of her was relieved someone else was here to help her. But then her guilt erased the relief. She should be able to handle the situation with Mark. Until a year ago their relationship had been a good, solid one. Suddenly she felt so alone.
“Let me help, Kathleen. I owe you one. Besides, isn’t that what friends are for? To help each other? I think I remember you saying something like that.”
Jared’s words reminded her she wasn’t alone, that this man beside her might be the answer to her son’s troubles, and no matter how much she wanted to deal with her son’s problems all by herself, she knew when to ask for help. “Please. Maybe you can get through to him.”
Jared took her hands and held them for a few seconds while his gaze delved deep into hers. A connection arced between them as though they were tied together by some invisible rope. Then, without a word, he headed toward the grove of trees. Kathleen linked her trembling fingers together as though she was praying. Yet no words came to mind. She’d forgotten how to ask God for help, wasn’t sure if He would even listen to her now.
“I won’t do it! Leave me alone!”
Mark’s plea echoed through the dense trees and propelled Jared to a quicker pace. He scanned the dark shadows looking for the boy, but he wasn’t sure which way Mark had gone.
“Go away!”
The shout, almost to a hysterical level, urged Jared to the left and deeper into the trees. His heart pounded against his chest, matching the sound of his tennis shoes pounding against the hard-packed dirt.
Who was bothering Mark? Someone in the youth group? Questions raced through Jared’s mind as he raced toward Kathleen’s son. He should have come sooner—not talked with Kathleen for a few extra minutes.
Pushing through some thick underbrush, Jared paused to listen for any more sounds. All that greeted him were birds chirping in the treetops and a scurrying noise behind him. Nothing else. Squinting, he searched the shady expanse before him. Finally slumped against a large elm, curled into a tight ball, he saw Mark.
Jared tore through the forest, ignoring a branch as it slapped against his chest. An eternity later he squatted in front of the teenager, his breathing coming in gasps.
“Mark, are you all right? Did someone hurt you?”
The boy remained still, only a slight tensing of the shoulders indicating that Mark might have heard him.
“Mark,” Jared said more urgently.
Kathleen’s son seemed to shrink into a tighter ball.
Jared’s concern escalated. He laid his hand on Mark’s shoulder and shook him gently. “Please let me help you.”
Mark unfurled his lanky body and raised his head to spear him with half-closed eyes. “Dr. Matthews, why are you here?”
“I heard you yelling at someone. I thought maybe you were in trouble.”
Mark shoved to his feet, nearly sending Jared backward. He stood, too, noting the boy’s disheveled appearance; he looked almost as if he had wrestled with someone on the ground. Again Jared wondered who had been bothering Mark in the woods.
“Who were you talking to?”
Mark turned away. “No one.”
“If you’re having a problem with someone, maybe I can help.”
“Everything’s fine.”
“Are you—”
“I’m hungry. When’s lunch?” Mark started back toward the lake, not looking around to see if Jared followed him.
Jared let Mark go, giving him some space. He peered into the trees around him and saw no one else. Yet the boy was keeping something from him. So often teenagers think they can solve their problems alone, he thought, finally heading back toward the others. Jared made sure he kept Mark in sight at all times. It was obvious the boy had had a run-in with someone.
When Jared emerged into the sunlight, the lake only a hundred feet away, Mark was back with the others, off to the side, observing Aaron reeling in a fish. The coolness of the forest vanished to be replaced with a warmth that should have made him feel better. He didn’t. Mark was a deeply troubled teen. Was it because of his father’s untimely death or something else? Was he taking drugs? Or was he ill?
Kathleen strode toward him, her short auburn hair reflecting the rays of the sun, the look in her dark-brown eyes troubled. The worry etched into her features only reinforced his own concern. He wanted to help her. In the brief time he’d known her that had become important to him. Maybe if he helped her, he would feel he had atoned for not being there for Alice. Whatever the reason, Kathleen and her son were part of his life now, and he intended to discover what was wrong with Mark, then correct it.