Leah pursed her lips as she searched through her spice rack for cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Setting each one on the table, she grinned triumphantly at her son. “Yes, I have everything we need for gingerbread men. Hooray!”
She’d already calculated the cost. Butter and sugar were precious commodities and had cost her more than she should have spent, but after the month they’d just endured, she couldn’t say no when he’d asked her to make the treat.
Collin let out a war whoop and jumped off the wooden stool. “Call me when they’re done! I’m going to play cowboys with Billy.”
Leah shook her head and stared after her son, hands on hips, as Collin grabbed his coat and hat, then headed out the back door. So much for this being a joint effort. Apparently baking cookies with Mom was not Collin’s top priority on a Saturday morning.
She walked into the pantry and took out the flour, sugar, and other ingredients she would need. She was just stirring the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture when the doorbell rang.
Leah wiped her hands on her apron and went to open the door.
Max Reilly, headmaster of Collin’s school, stood there holding his hat in his hands. He looked down at her with the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.
“Mr. Reilly?” Her voice almost squeaked, and she cleared her throat. “Is something wrong?”
“Mrs. Halliday, I’m sorry to intrude without sending a note home, but I really need to speak to you if you have a few moments.”
Leah frowned. “Collin’s not in trouble, is he?”
“No, no, nothing like that.” He shuffled his hat from one hand to the other. “But there was an incident in school yesterday that I’d like to discuss if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Won’t you come in? Here, let me take your coat.”
He shrugged out of the wool overcoat and handed it over.
Feeling dwarfed by the size of the headmaster, Leah cleared her throat and angled her head to meet his gaze. “I have fresh coffee on. May I offer you a cup?
“Thank you. Just black, please.”
He smiled, and Leah’s heart nearly stopped. A dimple winked at her from each cheek, and his black hair and thin mustache reminded her of Rhett Butler.
“Is everything all right, Mrs. Halliday?”
Leah blinked. “Huh?” Then she noticed the amused grin. Heat seared her cheeks. Apparently this man was accustomed to making women lose their ability to speak. “Of course. I’ll just hang this up and bring in the coffee. I won’t be a minute.”
“Take your time.”
Oh, that smile again.
Leah walked to the coatrack, caressing the material. The quality was evident, and she carefully hung it up, smoothing imaginary creases. She went into the small kitchen and pulled two cups and saucers from the cabinets. Why did some people have so much while others had nothing? The price of Mr. Reilly’s coat alone would have paid for every item of clothing Collin needed and then some.
She pushed back the tears and, squaring her shoulders, returned to the living room with the steaming coffee. Mr. Reilly still stood in the middle of the room, looking ill at ease, his hat between his hands.
“I’m so sorry. You must think me awfully rude. Please sit down.” She motioned toward the sagging, worn sofa and pushed back niggles of shame that she had nothing better for the headmaster of the elite boys’ school to sit on.
With a wistful sigh, she dropped into the wooden rocker across from him. She crossed her ankles gracefully and sat with her hands clasped in her lap, dreading what must be coming. After the week she’d had, it could only be bad news.
“What brings you all the way over here on a Saturday, Mr. Reilly?”
He leaned forward and placed his cup and saucer on the coffee table. “I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but there was a scuffle on the playground yesterday. Some of the older boys were teasing Collin and shoving him around a little bit.”
“Again?” Indignation bit a hole in Leah. She sat up straight, leveling her gaze at him. “This is the second time in a month! Isn’t it your duty to keep this sort of thing from happening?” She stood, took a deep breath, then stepped back and dropped her arm as she realized she had been shaking her finger almost in the headmaster’s face. She sighed and gave him an imploring look. “Why would anyone want to tease a kid like Collin? At his other school, everyone liked him. He had dozens of friends.”
Suddenly she noticed that he was looking uncomfortable.
He stood up and then cleared his throat. “Boys can often be cruel. They don’t always see things—clothes, for example—as adults do.”
Leah’s eyes grew wide as understanding dawned. Why hadn’t she realized? “His coat?” she whispered. She had been so concerned with keeping her son warm it had never crossed her mind.
“Yes. They were teasing him about the lining. Which is one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.” He paused for a moment, then rushed on. “I, uh, took the liberty of purchasing a coat for Collin. Considering—”
A gasp escaped her throat. Her legs felt weak; humiliation burned her cheeks. “I—I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Mr. Reilly, but I am perfectly able to provide for my son. Just because the president of Rosemont Industries believes only the returning soldiers need to provide for their children doesn’t mean I am so destitute I would take charity from a stranger.”
He blinked in surprise, and a flush washed his handsome face.
Leah’s frustration had finally found an outlet, and she planted her hands on her hips. “Perhaps it would be better to teach the boys at your school that just because they come from affluent homes doesn’t mean they have the right to bully others who are not so fortunate. Rosemont is a prep school, Mr. Reilly. Prepare them to be good men. That’s your job. My job is to teach my son to appreciate what he has. Even if that means wearing an old coat lined with a family heirloom because it was all I had.”
Anger fueled her courage, and she walked, straight-backed, to the door. “I am sorry that you had to come all the way over here for nothing. In the future, please confine your attention to Collin’s education, and let me take care of matters that are none of your business.”
Max’s shoes clicked brusquely on the wood floor as he took the bold hint. “Mrs. Halliday, I apologize for offending you. But I do hope you’ll reconsider. It’s admirable that you want to provide for your son, admirable even that you don’t want to accept charity. But sometimes having too much pride is simply foolishness.” He gave a curt nod and slipped through the door, which she quickly slammed behind him.
Unable to hang on to composure for another second, Leah threw herself onto the sofa and allowed the tears to flow. Wrenching sobs erupted from a hurting place deep within. When gradually they began to subside, she sat up, wiping furiously at the tears streaming down her face. The audacity of the man. What was he thinking?
She gasped, and her hands flew to her cheeks. Never mind what he was thinking. What had she been thinking talking to him that way? Let me take care of matters that are none of your business? Had she really said that? What had she done? Would he expel Collin after her outburst?
The mantel clock chimed noon. Leah had to pull herself together before Collin came home.
Collin! She’d forgotten all about his gingerbread men.
Trembling and heartsick, she got up and forced her legs to carry her to the kitchen. She had to think. She had to find a way to undo what she had just done.
Max drove home in a state of self-condemnation, despite the fact that she’d thrown him out without giving him his coat back. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn’t he at least asked before buying that coat? He just hadn’t thought. He simply saw a need and took care of it, just as he had done so many times before. Looking over Collin’s records, he had noticed that Mrs. Halliday was a widow and employed at one of his grandfather’s factories. What he hadn’t known was that she had been let go. Of course she would be angry. He hadn’t meant to be insensitive, but the hurt and humiliation on that lovely face were evidence that he had been.
He sat in his living room later that day trying to figure out how to mend the situation, but all he could think of were those soft-brown eyes filled with anguish just before she exploded and let him have it with both barrels. Not that he blamed her.
And he never did get to mention his other idea, which was probably a good thing. He rather doubted she would have wanted him to take her son under his wing. If she had realized his grandfather was the one who signed her compensation check and fired her along with the other women who had held down the fort during the war, she probably would have booted him down the steps rather than simply slamming her door on his back.
All in all, Max, you made a big mess of things.
Still, he couldn’t help grinning at her spunk. He’d find a way to make it up to her. Somehow, he’d break through that iron will of hers and convince her to allow Collin to have the coat.
The heavy wooden doors shut behind Leah, and she stood for a moment, looking down at the gray-painted concrete floor of the long hall. Lifting her chin and taking a deep breath, she stepped to the first door on the right and entered the school office. A middle-aged woman at the front desk looked up from her work and smiled as Leah came through the door. She eyed the man’s coat draped over Leah’s arm.
“May I help you?”
“Yes, my name is Leah Halliday. Would it be possible for me to see Mr. Reilly?”
“I’ll see if he’s available.”
Leah turned away, looking at the prints on the wall as the secretary spoke into the receiver.
A door at the back of the room opened, and Max Reilly stood, smiling as though he’d been expecting her, which she knew he hadn’t. Leah’s heart did a strange flip, and she breathed deeply. I’m just nervous because I don’t want him to expel Collin. Still, those eyes were every bit as deep and intense as she remembered.
“Mrs. Halliday. Please come in.”
He ushered her into his office and pulled out a chair in front of his desk. She sat stiffly on the leather-cushioned chair as he went around and sat down behind his desk. “You, um, forgot your coat.”
“It was thoughtful of you to bring it down here. You could have just sent it with Collin.”
“I didn’t want him to get it dirty.” Leah felt like an utter fool. All those thoughts about his gorgeous eyes and broad shoulders. Silly girlish thoughts about a man so far out of her reach he might as well be Rhett Butler.
“Mr. Reilly …”
“Mrs. Halliday …”
They both stopped.
“After you, please,” Max said.
Leah swallowed and started again.
“Very well, then. I’m here to apologize for my actions on Saturday. You were only being kind, and I overreacted. It was inexcusable of me, and I hope you won’t hold it against my son.” She gathered a shaky breath. “It would break my heart if he were expelled from Rosemont due to my outburst and—”
“Whoa, there. Wait a minute.” Max stood up and walked around the desk. He sat in the chair next to her, giving her a look of earnest appeal. “You did nothing wrong. I’m the idiot who needs to apologize. In fact, I’d intended to do just that at the end of the school day. I had no idea how the gift would affect you. When the boys told me about the other fight and Collin’s coat getting torn, I felt it was the responsibility of the school to replace it. This whole thing was my fault for not consulting you first.”
She averted her gaze to her hands. “Oh, Mr. Reilly, now I feel even more foolish. I should have given you a chance to explain.” She lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. “To be quite honest, when I made the new lining, I wasn’t thinking about anything but my son’s warmth and health. Until I find another job, I’m afraid new coats aren’t in the budget, so if you still have the one you offered us, I would very much like for Collin to have it.”
Max’s heart lurched as he stared at the brimming eyes of the young woman beside him. He would have given almost anything to remove the embarrassment she was so obviously feeling. He stood up and leaned against the desk.
Clearing his throat, he said, “There’s another matter I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Yes?” She looked up at him, a question in her eyes.
His heart jumped again. Making a quick decision, he glanced at his watch. “Look, it’s about lunchtime. If you don’t have plans, could I take you to lunch and talk about it there?”
“I suppose that would be all right. Or I could just come back.”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “After all, we both have to eat, so why not take care of this other business at the same time?
Nodding, she permitted him to take her arm and guide her toward the door. Max left a few brief instructions with his secretary, and then he escorted Leah to his car. They drove to a nearby restaurant.
After giving their order to the waiter, Max sat back in his chair and looked across at Leah Halliday. The artificial light in the room brought out gold highlights in the soft brown waves that caressed her shoulders. And her lovely eyes sparkled like stars. He shook his head, wondering where he was getting such poetic notions.
Clearing his throat, he began. “Mrs. Halliday, I hope what I’m about to propose won’t offend you or sound strange in any way.”
A little frown appeared between her eyes, and he hurried to continue.
“As you may or may not know, Rosemont Industries has begun a program for the sons of soldiers who died in the war.”
“What kind of program?”
At the suspicion in her tone, he hurried on.
“It’s simply a way to show appreciation for the sacrifices of our soldiers and their families. Of course there is no way we could ever replace a boy’s father, but we can try to do things with him that his dad would do if he were here. Fishing trips, baseball games—those sorts of things. And most important, we provide a listening ear. No matter how close a boy is to his mother and how wonderful a mom she is, sometimes he just needs a man to talk to and hang around with.”
“I see.” She looked down at the plate that the waiter had just put on the table.
She’s being too quiet. I’ve blown it again.
“I think it sounds like a wonderful idea. And I would love for Collin to have a friend like that.” She studied him for a moment. “But I need to think about it. If I do agree to it, I’d be very particular about who my boy went anywhere with.”
“Yes, of course you would. A mother can’t be too cautious where her child is concerned. Actually, if you allow Collin to take part in the program, I’d be honored if you’d consider me for his companion.”
A look of surprise crossed her face, and she looked at him closely as though searching for some ulterior motive.
“That’s very kind of you, of course, and I’m sure as the headmaster of Rosemont, your character is above reproach, but I still need to know you better before permitting my son to spend that amount of time alone with you.”
“Well, then, how about the three of us doing some things together first?” Max, you sound like a rambling idiot. She’s never going to agree to this.
“Let me think about it, Mr. Reilly.”
“Of course. I’m sure you want to take time to think it over and pray about it.”
“I really need to be going, Mr. Reilly. I have an interview this afternoon.”
“But you’ve hardly touched your food.”
“I’m not very hungry. Thank you for lunch. I really must go now.”
She stood abruptly, nodded her head in his direction, then walked through the busy restaurant and disappeared out the door.