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But there was something in her brown eyes that haunted him, even invading his dreams at night.
Saturday morning, Whitney dragged herself to the kitchen to make coffee and grab something to eat before she tackled packing the boxes to move. While the coffee brewed, she hurriedly dressed in navy blue shorts and a red T-shirt and was back in time to pour a huge mug of the hot liquid, its aroma spicing the air.
As she sat at the table and ate her bowl of cereal, she looked around at the mess she’d created the night before in preparation for her move this weekend. Her gaze lit upon a yellow pillow that graced the sofa, and she immediately thought about Jason. He hadn’t attended school either Thursday or Friday. She’d almost called Shane on Friday to see if his son was all right. She’d even dialed halfway through the phone number before she’d slammed down the receiver, determined not to intrude.
Finally yesterday afternoon she’d asked Mrs. Bradley if she knew why Jason wasn’t at school. She’d said that he had come for about fifteen minutes the day before with his father and thirty that morning to acquaint himself more with the classroom. But he left when Dr. McCoy did. Disappointment had spread over Whitney as she’d gone back to the classroom she’d been assigned to assist in.
She wanted Jason’s school experience to work. That was the only reason she’d been disappointed the day before. Taking a long sip of her coffee, she shut down her thoughts about Shane and his son. Getting involved with them wasn’t a smart move. She already had too much on her plate—starting with packing.
A few minutes later as she emptied another drawer of her possessions, someone knocked at her door. She was trying to decide which member of the family was going to tell her all the reasons she shouldn’t move.
When she swung the door open, she was surprised that every member of Noah’s family, except the baby, stood outside the guesthouse. “I don’t want anyone of you to say another word about my move. If that’s why you came en masse, turn around and leave. I’ve got too much to do to listen.”
Noah grinned. “We’re here to help you. I’ve got Peter and Jacob coming to help with moving the pieces of furniture. They’re bringing a van. And Jacob’s wife is watching the baby so we’re all free to help all day.”
Free all day! The gesture touched Whitney but at the same time overwhelmed her—as usual. “But the furniture is yours. Zoey has a few pieces in the apartment, and I was going to buy some when I save up enough money.”
“Nope,” Cara said as she came forward, “we decided to redecorate the guesthouse. This won’t fit with the new scheme.” She waved her hand at the surroundings.
“No, this is yours.”
Lindsay gasped at Whitney’s fierce tone. Rusty’s eyes widened as Whitney faced her brother.
“Guys, let’s start in the bedroom with packing,” Cara said, gathering the four children and pushing them toward the back of the guesthouse.
When the room was cleared of everyone but Noah and Whitney, he released a long breath and frowned. “Haven’t you figured out what’s mine is yours? You are my family. I don’t need this furniture. You do. Why spend money on something I can give you?”
She narrowed her eyes on her brother. “Because I don’t want your handouts. I’m twenty-eight years old. I’m going to do this on my own.”
“Cara taught me that you don’t have to go through life alone, that it’s okay to need others.”
“That’s you, not me.”
He glared at her for a long moment. “Can we compromise on this? You use the furniture until you can replace it with your own, then you can give the pieces to charity. Okay?”
There was that word compromise again. In his eyes she saw the need for her to say yes. Noah did too much for her, but she’d found out from Cara not long after she’d come to town that it was important to her brother to help his little sister. That was part of the reason she’d stayed longer than she had intended. Noah’s guilt over not being able to find her for years still ate at him. He’d felt it was his fault her childhood had been rough, that he hadn’t been able to protect her.
“Fine, but just until I can buy my own.”
The huge smile that spread over her brother’s features told her she had made the right decision. Okay, as much as she didn’t want to compromise anymore in her life, she had to be realistic. There would be a few occasions when she would have to. But she would control when and what.
That evening in her new apartment, surrounded by chaos, she sat among the unopened boxes and knew she would have a lot to do tomorrow. She’d refused Noah’s offer to bring her something to eat because she’d craved some quiet time after being among the whole family plus a few friends. Although they’d wanted to help her put some of her items away, she needed to do that personally.
Exhausted as she was, maybe she should have accepted the assistance. But she had a hard time letting others do things for her. She always expected them to have their hand out for something in return. Although Noah’s family hadn’t done that, old habits were hard to break.
When someone rapped on her front door, she jumped, her gaze swinging toward it. With a quick peek at her watch noting the still early time, she strode toward the entrance. Must be Zoey. But when she checked the peephole, the fading sunlight, as it headed toward the western horizon, illuminated Shane McCoy.
Chapter Three
Whitney automatically glanced down at her wrinkled attire, dirty from moving all day, and frowned. When she found herself finger-combing her hair, her anger rose. Why did she care how she looked? She looked like a person who had been working hard.
She wrenched the door open, ready to tell Shane she was too tired for company. The instant she saw his smiling face, then Jason next to him, both holding containers of what appeared to have food in them, the words fled her mind. Even covered, the aroma wafting from the dishes made her stomach rumble.
“We saw Noah leaving while Jason and I were going for our bike ride. He said you moved in today and grumbled something about you didn’t have much food yet, so how did you think you were going to eat tonight? So here we are with your dinner. Aunt Louise always makes too much for just us to eat.” Shane held up his casserole dish. “It’s pot roast with vegetables. And Jason has a salad. If you aren’t hungry right now, it can hold until tomorrow.”
At that moment her stomach growled. “I guess that’s your answer. I’m hungry. Come in, you two.”
“I don’t want to impose. I just wanted to bring by a welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift.”
Jason finally peered up at her, his gaze lighting up when it encountered her hair, which she’d taken down from her ponytail a while ago. “Pretty.” Moving into the apartment, he touched the strands that had fallen forward over her shoulder.
“Well, I guess we’ll come in.” Shane crossed the threshold, taking the container from his son. “Where do you want these?”
“Kitchen.” She gestured toward the area off the living room while making her way toward one of the few places she could sit in the apartment.
When she settled on the sofa, Jason took the seat by her and occasionally grazed his fingers across her hair. When the boy’s gaze fell upon Calico perched on a box, he leaped to his feet, hurrying toward the cat. Her pet watched the child’s quick approach but remained put. Jason picked up Calico, burying his face in her fur.
“Is that okay?”
“Sure, Calico loves kids. She had to learn fast when she was at the refuge and with Noah’s children.”
Empty-handed now, Shane approached her. “We won’t stay. It wasn’t that long ago I moved into our house and know how tired you have to be.”
“You two have had dinner?”
“Yeah, before we headed out on our bike adventure.”
Jason caught sight of a box with some yellow lettering on it. Hopping up with the cat cradled in his arms, he made a beeline for the container and traced the colored words on the cardboard.
“I noticed Jason wasn’t in class on Friday when I stopped by.”
“We’re taking it a little bit at a time. I’m hoping I’ll be able to leave him sometime next week.”
“You sound like you expected it to go faster.”
“I can always hope. He’s been doing well with his therapist, and there are even times he can handle a little change in plans.” Shane lounged back against some boxes stacked along the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “But I know this isn’t a little change. He needs a reason to want to stay.”
“I could meet you on Monday and escort you two to the classroom, maybe distract him while you leave. What else does Jason like besides yellow and cats?”
“Actually any kind of animal.”
“That’s wonderful. Mrs. Bradley told me she was getting a rabbit over the weekend for the class. Maybe I could get him involved with the rabbit.”
“That might be enough.”
“Has he ever gone out to Stone’s Refuge to the barn with the animals?”
Shane shook his head.
“You ought to take him. Peter and Laura have a wonderful collection of all kinds of animals, mostly abandoned and in need of love.” Was that the reason she was drawn to Stone’s Refuge and the barn? There had been so many times in her life she’d felt that way. Stone’s Refuge was a place where children for whom the state couldn’t find foster parents were placed.
“I’ll have to ask Peter about visiting with Jason when I’m out there next time.”
“Do you go often?” She’d never seen him there even though she’d known he worked with some of the kids.
“Occasionally, especially when I want to see a child I’m counseling in his normal environment.” Shane pushed to an erect stance. “We’d better let you eat. It’s getting close to Jason’s bedtime and his ritual takes a while to get him ready to go to sleep.”
Whitney stood. “It sounds like routines are important with Jason.”
“Yes, but then with most children they are, just more so with him.” Shane turned toward his son. “Jason.” He didn’t continue until he had his child’s attention. “We need to go home, buddy.” Shane strode to the front door and opened it, then waited for Jason to put down the cat.
Reluctantly, his son let go of Calico and hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs.
“Good night, Whitney, and welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Thanks for the dinner.”
Shane followed Jason who paused next to Whitney’s car and ran his hand along its length.
Swinging around and backpedaling, Shane looked up at her. “Was it fixed okay?”
“Yes. Actually I think it runs even better,” she said, leaning against the wooden railing on her small porch.
“That’s wonderful. At least something good came out of what happened on Monday.” Shane faced forward and took his son’s hand before heading across the street toward his house.
Whitney watched them until they disappeared from her view, the dim light of dusk settling over the neighborhood. The August heat of an Oklahoma day still lingered in the air. A cardinal chirped in a nearby maple, its bright red coloring vivid among the green foliage. The scent of the honeysuckle bush beneath her porch along the side of the garage sweetened the warm breeze that blew.
The move today had made her aware of just how much her life was changing—like Jason’s. Maybe they could help each other through the change.
Returning from the grocery store after coming home from church, Shane drove past Whitney’s apartment, his gaze straying to it. Was she busy unpacking? He remembered all the unopened boxes stacked in her living area the night before. Did she need help? Was her family going to help today?
He had to agree with his son about her hair. The color was a rich, deep gold. It fell in thick waves about her shoulders, inviting a person to caress it as if it were a waterfall of sunshine.
And why in the world was he even thinking about her? She had a Do Not Disturb sign hanging around her neck. She didn’t trust others. He knew that in his gut because he had recognized the defensive signs, a certain wary look in the eye, an “I want to do everything myself” attitude, because trusting meant putting yourself out there to be hurt.
He also knew a little about not trusting. When Becka, his pregnant wife, had been killed in a house fire, he’d gone through a period where he’d backed away from family and friends. Then Aunt Louise had appeared at his doorstep and shown him the importance of trusting in the Lord. Once he had turned to Him, the rest fell into place. Yes, there were times he was disappointed in others or hurt by them, but the alternative was worse—cutting yourself off from people, especially the ones who really cared about you. But having been deeply in love with his wife, he never wanted to feel that kind of loss ever again.
He was perfectly content to focus on Jason. He’d grown to appreciate his son and his unique perspective on life. Jason was his life now.
So why couldn’t he stop thinking about Whitney?
Pushing the question from his mind, he parked in his driveway and climbed from his vehicle. He grabbed the sack with bread and strawberry jam he’d gotten at the store for his aunt so she could fix Jason’s lunch and headed toward the front door. Inside silence greeted him. Too quiet. Usually the radio in the kitchen was going or the television in the den. Or Jason was jabbering to his aunt or one of his toys.
Had Aunt Louise taken Jason out? Shane moved toward the kitchen, his aunt’s domain and where she spent a lot of time. Just inside the door Shane glimpsed his son in the den, sitting cross-legged on the hardwood floor, rocking back and forth with a broad grin on his face. Shane’s gaze swept the kitchen. No Aunt Louise.
Moving toward the den, he scanned that room. His gaze came to an abrupt halt a foot from his son. Hidden from his earlier perusal Aunt Louise lay on the area carpet.
Shane raced to her and felt her pulse. He breathed a sigh when he got one. Digging in his pocket for his cell, he punched in 9-1-1 while he looked over at his son to make sure he was all right. Jason still smiled, as though nothing was wrong. In his mind it wasn’t.
After giving the operator the necessary information and asking that the siren not be used within a few blocks of the street, he turned to his son again. Sirens, like thunder, would upset Jason.
“Why don’t you go watch Animal Planet in my bedroom?” Shane didn’t want him to witness the EMTs taking Aunt Louise away.
“Can Auntie watch?”
Knowing Jason, when someone’s eyes were closed, he would think she was sleeping, not hurt. “Maybe later.”
As his son left the den, Aunt Louise’s eyes fluttered open. She stared at Shane, her forehead wrinkling. “What am…” She tried to rise to a sitting position but instead wilted back against the carpet. “Why—am I—on the floor?” she murmured, bringing her hand to her head and covering her eyes for a few seconds.
“That’s a good question. You don’t remember?”
Her hand slid away from her face. “I—No.”
A few minutes later when the doorbell rang, Shane sighed. “That’s the paramedics. I called 9-1-1. Be right back.” He hurried to the front door and let the two EMTs inside. “She’s in the den. She’s awake now but groggy.”
“What happened?” the tall one asked.
“I don’t know and neither does she.”
“Is she diabetic? Have a heart condition?”
“No, not that I know of. The only thing she’s had problems with is arthritis in her knees.”
Shane hung back while the EMTs worked on Aunt Louise and put her on the stretcher. Before they wheeled her out the door, Shane took his aunt’s hand. “I’ll be right behind the ambulance. They’ll take good care of you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m in the Lord’s hands.”
The second the ambulance pulled away, Shane went to get Jason. He’d rather not take him to the hospital, but he didn’t want to take the time to find a babysitter. What if his aunt had had a heart attack and had another one before he could get there? He didn’t want her to be alone. He owed her so much.
When Shane went upstairs and into his bedroom to round up Jason, it was empty. He checked the master bathroom, then went to Jason’s room across the hall. Again his son was nowhere in sight. Trying to remain calm, he hurried through the rest of the house, calling his son’s name over and over.
Fifteen minutes later, frantic, he headed out the kitchen door to see if Jason was in the backyard. The phone rang, the sound jerking Shane back around and into the house. He snatched it up while glancing out the bay window in the breakfast nook.
“Shane, this is Whitney. Jason showed up at my apartment. He was downstairs touching my car. I figured you didn’t know he came over.”
He collapsed into the chair nearby, dropping his head in relief. “No, I didn’t. I’ll be right over.”
When Whitney opened the door to reveal Shane on her stoop, her heart twisted at the sight of the man, pale, his hair tousled, his expression drawn and worn.
“I called you as soon as I saw him.” Whitney stepped to the side to allow him to enter.
“I really appreciate that. This hasn’t been a good day.” Shane’s gaze slipped from her to find his son on the couch, writing on a yellow pad while Calico pressed up against his thigh.
“He’s drawing a picture of my cat for me.” Whitney closed the door and moved toward her kitchen area, the sound of Jason’s pencil strokes and Calico purring echoing through the apartment. “I know it’s almost one, but do you want some coffee?”
“No, I can’t stay. Aunt Louise was just taken to the hospital in an ambulance.”
The love and concern for his aunt filled Shane’s eyes and tugged at her. That was what she and her brother were beginning to develop. “What happened?”
