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“Sofie!” Trying to contain her panic, Cassie rubbed her hands up and down her chilled arms as a myriad of horrible thoughts flashed through her mind. “What’s wrong?” She reached for her daughter, all but dragging her through the doorway. “Are you hurt, honey? Sick?” Cassie demanded, alarm tingeing her words as she ran her hands up and down her daughter, checking for fever or injuries, wanting to assure herself Sofie was safe and sound and in one piece.
“No, Mama,” Sofie said solemnly, glancing up at her from under the red woolen hat that drooped down her forehead and nearly covered her big brown eyes. “I’m not hurt,” Sofie said, giving her cap a shove upward with a red mittened fist. “And I’m not sick, either.”
“Then why did Dr. Bradford bring you home?” Cassie demanded. Confused, her gaze went from Sofie to Dr. Beau. She hadn’t even noticed he’d followed them inside.
He was standing just inside the salon, tall and broad enough to almost fill the doorway, still wearing his cashmere overcoat and his expensive, designer wool scarf. Heavy leather gloves covered his large hands, and his inky black hair was windswept and dotted with fresh snowflakes that glistened as they melted.
Her gaze met his and she immediately felt as if she were drowning in a calm, blue lagoon. There was something dangerous about his eyes…. If a woman wasn’t careful, those blue eyes could just suck her in, making her blind and oblivious to reality.
She’d already had one life-altering turn with a slick, charming man, Cassie thought in annoyance, stiffening her resolve. She wasn’t seventeen any longer, and she’d already learned her lesson…about men, life and just about every other pitfall in between.
“Will someone please tell me what the devil is going on?” Exasperated, her gaze went from Dr. Bradford back to her daughter. “Sofie, why are you so late? And why did Dr. Bradford bring you home if you’re not hurt or sick? And where’s Rusty? You know you’re supposed to walk here with him every day after school, don’t you?”
“Yes, Mama,” Sofie all but whispered, staring down at the toes of her bright yellow Big Bird boots.
“And you know better than to get into a car with someone without my permission, don’t you?” Cassie’s gaze searched her daughter’s face, but Sofie’s chin merely drooped and she avoided her mother’s eyes.
“Sofie.” Gently, Cassie lifted her daughter’s chin. “Sweetheart, when you didn’t come home from school on time, Mommy got very, very worried. I was afraid something terrible had happened to you.”
“Something…terrible…did happen, Mama,” Sofie mumbled softly, glancing up at her mother through dark lashes glistening with tears. “At school.”
Cassie’s heart did another stutter step. “What happened, sweetheart?” she asked quietly, stunned by the stark sadness on her daughter’s face.
Sofie sniffled, again staring down at the toes of her bright yellow boots. “The kids at school…they laughed at me when I told them I’d seen red rain and that I was gonna do something real good for the science fair.” Sofie lifted stricken, tear-filled eyes. “They called me a liar and then they laughed at me.”
“They called you a liar and laughed at you?” Cassie repeated, stunned. Sofie had been bubbling over with excitement all week about the upcoming science fair. Science was her passion and had been ever since a former neighbor, a retired professor, had sparked her interest in the solar system.
For Cassie, a woman who had dropped out of school in her senior year to give birth, then had gone back to school at night just to get her G. E. D., the mere concept of scientific theories was a bit terrifying. But not for her brave, fearless, brilliant little girl.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Gathering her daughter close, Cassie went down on one knee so she was eye level with Sofie. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and lifted Sofie’s drooping chin. “It’s not fun to be laughed at, honey. Or to be called names. Especially by your friends.” Cassie pushed down Sofie’s muffler so she could talk. “Now, tell me, sweetheart, why did the kids laugh at you?” Cassie smoothed away the stray strands of black hair that were clinging to her daughter’s rosy, wind-whipped cheeks and smiled her encouragement.
Sofie swallowed, then swiped her nose with her fuzzy red mittens before answering. “Because…because…they say I’m…a brainiac, Mama,” Sofie said, as tears flooded her eyes again.
“A brainiac?” Cassie repeated, and Sofie’s little head bobbed up and down.
“The kids tease me ’cuz they say I’m too smart.” Sofie rubbed her fuzzy red fists against her teary eyes. “They don’t like me, Mama,” Sofie wailed, sobs shaking her slender shoulders as she threw herself against her mother, hanging on for dear life. “They don’t like me so that’s why I was running away.”
Her daughter’s words had fear siphoning the blood from Cassie’s head, nearly making her dizzy. “You were…running away?” Cassie repeated, trying to keep the shock out of her voice so she wouldn’t upset Sofie further. But her knees were knocking now, nearly as hard and fast as her heart.
“Yes, Mama, but Dr. Beau found me.” Sofie swiped her nose again, then peeked at her mother from under her drooping red cap. “And he told me about the first-grade rule.”
Cassie merely blinked at her daughter. “The first-grade rule?” she repeated dully, glancing up at the doctor in confusion.
“Yes, Cassie,” Dr. Beau confirmed with an encouraging wink and a smile. “The Cooper’s Cove first-grade rule. I’m sure you were told about it when you registered Sofie for school?” he prompted, one brow lifting in expectation as his blue eyes twinkled at her.
“Uhm…yes, I’m sure I was,” Cassie said with a slow nod, not sure of any such thing, but playing along anyway. “But I’m afraid I’ve…uh…forgotten it,” she admitted, glancing up at him with a wan smile.
“That’s perfectly understandable,” he said, taking several steps deeper into the salon. As he pulled off his heavy leather gloves and shoved them in his pocket, he flashed Cassie and Sofie a dazzling smile. “The Cooper’s Cove first-grade rule says all first graders have to tell their parents before they run away. It’s a school rule, right, Sofie?”
“Yeah, it’s a rule,” Sofie admitted with a heavy sigh and Cassie nearly smiled in relief. Her gaze met Beau’s and in it she saw humor, kindness and understanding, three things that surprised her coming from him.
“We didn’t want to break any rules, now did we, Sofie?” he continued, and Sofie shook her head firmly.
“Uh-uh, Dr. Beau,” Sofie said, scrabbling at a wad of long tangled black hair sticking to her face.
“I phoned Katie at the newspaper and told her I was driving Sofie here so neither she nor Rusty would worry.”
“Thank you,” Cassie muttered with a nod, still a bit shell-shocked.
Almost everyone in town knew everyone else’s familial relationships. It was just part of small town life. Her mother, Gracie, and her Aunt Louella were sisters and partners in the Astrology Parlor a few doors down on Main Street. Katie was Aunt Louella’s daughter, and Rusty was Katie’s twelve-year-old son.
“Mama?” Sofie tugged on her mother’s hand, then yanked off her cap, shoving her flyaway hair from her face with a fist. “Dr. Beau drove me here so I could tell you I was gonna run away.” Sofie scowled suddenly. “But I think I gotta go to the bathroom first.” Sofie shoved her hat at her mother, then crossed her legs and began bouncing up and down. “I gotta go now, Mama.”
“Go, honey, go,” Cassie urged, hurriedly helping to unwrap her daughter from her mound of winter clothing. “I’ll be right here when you come out.”
The moment Sofie was out of earshot, heading toward the back room where the restroom and the small lunch room were located, Cassie turned to Beau.
“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted honestly as she set Sofie’s winter coat down on one of the empty salon chairs. “Except…thank you.” She hesitated, a chill skating over her skin. “If you hadn’t found her, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Sofie had been running away.
Pure, unadulterated fear settled into an icy pit in Cassie’s stomach. She simply couldn’t bear to think about what might have happened if Beau hadn’t found Sofie.
“You’re welcome,” Beau said with a smile. “I close the office early on Wednesday,” he explained, “and I just happened to be driving down Main Street when I saw Sofie trudging along all by herself.” He loosened his cashmere overcoat and stepped closer. “I knew something was wrong because I didn’t figure you were the type to let your six-year-old go wandering around town by herself.”
“No, of course not,” Cassie said, fighting the instinct to step back away from him. It was foolish, she knew, especially considering how kind he’d been, but she couldn’t help it. The man made her incredibly twitchy and nervous. He was just too charming, good-looking, and a tad too slick and smooth for her comfort. Everything about him was a painful reminder of Sofie’s father, right down to his fancy, expensive sports car. The painful similarities simply irritated her and reminded her of her youthful inexperience and naivete.
“Pretty fast work about the first-grade rule,” Cassie admitted, forcing herself to meet his gaze and be polite.
Beau shrugged away the compliment. “Dealing with kids every day, you have to learn to be quick and to think on your feet,” he said, watching her carefully.
He’d been right about her the first time he’d met her, he mused, letting his gaze slide over her in pure masculine appreciation. She didn’t like or trust him. She’d made that very clear. It wasn’t the usual response he got from women and although he hadn’t a clue why she felt that way it amused him to no end.
What he didn’t know was if it was just him, or men in general, that Cassie Miller had a problem with. If his uncle had his way, all the single women in Cooper’s Cove would be lining up outside Beau’s office door, taking numbers for a chance to become the next heir-bearer for the future generation of Bradfords. Compared to that, Cassie Miller’s apparent prickliness and standoffishness were more than just a bit…intriguing.
And that was saying nothing about how attractive she was with glossy black hair that fell like a dark halo to her shoulders, and gorgeous creamy skin that begged to be stroked. But then again, he’d always had a weakness for petite, slender women who looked fragile and frail, but were really built and backed with steel.
When she’d brought Sofie in for her physical, his attempts to be friendly had fallen on tin ears. And not just that day in his office, he remembered, but later, at her aunt Louella’s wedding as well. He’d tried to make pleasant, polite conversation while Cassie had merely stared at him coolly, making it clear she didn’t think he was either pleasant or polite…and that she wanted absolutely no part of him. It had tickled him to no end. His interest in her had been snagged simply because it had been so long since a woman had been so blatantly rude or downright cold toward him. Usually they were falling all over themselves trying to impress him. And he wasn’t easily impressed.
But judging from Cassie’s cold response to him, if he didn’t know better, he’d think he was losing his touch.
“I do appreciate everything you’ve done,” Cassie finally said, as she glanced toward the back of the shop for Sofie. “I don’t know what brought this on. Sofie’s been doing well in school. She’s been making friends and getting along with all the other kids so I don’t know when or how this started. More importantly, I’m not sure I know how to handle it,” she admitted honestly, feeling grossly incompetent all of a sudden. “Sofie’s always gotten along so well with everyone. And she’s certainly never been teased before.”
“This isn’t Sofie’s fault, and I don’t think this teasing has gone on much beyond today,” he said, trying to reassure her. “The school is far too aware of teasing and bullying to let something like this go on for very long. I’ve spent the past five years or so working with school officials to develop a strict no-tolerance policy for bullying in order to make the school a place where every child feels safe and comfortable, and is praised for their individual talents, not ridiculed.” He sighed. “But once in a while, kids will be kids and something like this happens. The kids forget or someone is feeling hurt or inferior or disconnected from their parents, and teasing and bullying can be the result.”
“Do you think that’s what happened?” It sounded a lot less dramatic than she’d originally envisioned. “I mean, the idea of my daughter being bullied or teased at school is not a pleasant thought.”
“I know, Cassie,” he said quietly, sincerity shining in his eyes. “And I’m really sorry. But we know a lot more about this now than we ever did before and I’m certain with a little help from all of us Sofie will be able to handle this situation and be just fine.” He hesitated, meeting her gaze. “That is, if you’ll let me help?”
“Let you?” Shaking her head, she laughed, but the sound held no humor. “I’d be grateful for anything you can do or suggest.” When it came to her daughter or her daughter’s welfare, Cassie had no pride. She’d do anything and everything she could to keep her daughter happy, safe and secure, and if that meant dancing with a devil, well, all someone had to do was play the right music and show her the proper steps.
Giving another quick glance toward the back, wanting to make certain Sofie wasn’t within earshot, Cassie shoved back her dark hair with a shaky hand. “I don’t want my daughter thinking that the solution to any problem is running away.”
“No, of course not,” Beau said. “One of the most effective tools we can use right now to help Sofie through this is something we call the three C’s.” He smiled at her look of confusion. “It stands for caring, cooperation and conflict resolution. The caring obviously comes from you and all the adults in Sofie’s life. She needs to know that you understand this is a difficult time for her, and that she should feel free to tell you when anything has upset her, especially at school.”
“That’s fine from my end, but where does the cooperation come in?” Cassie asked, crossing her arms, simply to hide her nervousness. “How do we go about getting the cooperation of the kids who are teasing her?” Thrashing them probably wasn’t a viable option even if it did sound appealing at the moment.
“Why don’t you let me work with Sofie on that?” he asked, and she hesitated, but finally nodded. Beau was thoughtful for a moment. “Generally, Cassie, when a child is teasing or bullying someone else, it stems from their own lack of self-esteem or their own feelings of inferiority. Or perhaps it has to do with an emotional crisis they’re going through. A divorce, a death, any number of things can trigger these feelings in kids, especially when there’s a decided disconnect between the child and his or her parents. If a child feels powerless in a situation, then he tends to gravitate toward behavior that will make him or her feel powerful.”
“Teasing and bullying?” Cassie asked, suddenly understanding, and he nodded.
“Exactly. Sofie’s new at school and the science fair is really a big deal here. Maybe someone felt a bit intimidated by Sofie’s knowledge, maybe they were afraid she might have a better project or show them up. As a result, they began teasing her.”
“And teasing her shakes her confidence and her self-esteem,” Cassie said with a nod as things grew clearer. “And makes them feel better about themselves?”
“Exactly. Maybe that wasn’t the original intention, but it is the result.”
“I just don’t want her to be hurt,” she said softly, blinking away a surprising flash of tears.
“Cassie.” Beau laid his hand on her shoulder and her gaze flew to his. She hadn’t known he’d crossed the room and was standing so close to her. Her heart began doing a wicked two-step. He was so close she could smell his scent. Warm, woodsy, masculine and very appealing. She tried not to scowl.
“I promise you we can fix this, and fix it in such a way as to have as little damage emotionally, physically or psychologically to Sofie as possible,” he said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze of encouragement. “But, you’re going to have to trust me,” he added quietly.
“Trust you?” She hadn’t trusted a man in a long time and the idea of trusting a man when it came to her daughter, well, that idea was outright foreign to her. She didn’t trust any man that much.
Besides, how was she supposed to trust the man when she wasn’t comfortable standing in the same room with him?
Cassie took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Beau’s gaze. She didn’t have much choice in the matter, she realized. If she wanted to help her daughter, if she wanted her daughter to learn how to deal with life’s problems and not think running from them was the answer, she was going to need his help.
And that apparently meant trusting him. At least in this limited capacity. If only for Sofie’s sake.
But that didn’t mean she had to like it!
“Okay. Fine,” she said abruptly, taking a step away from him to turn and busily fold Sofie’s coat and winter garments. “Do you have a lot of experience with this teasing stuff?” she asked, glancing up at him nervously.
“Actually, I do,” he said. “As I mentioned I’ve been working with the schools to develop an anti-teasing and anti-bullying campaign. And,” he added with a sigh, “I had my fair share of teasing when I was in school as well,” he admitted. “Which is what started my interest in this subject and kids to begin with.” He paused for a moment and she watched something dark and unfathomable move into his eyes. “Growing up, there were times I was teased unmercifully. Running away would have been a great option if only I’d thought of it,” he admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle that actually made her smile. “So I know how Sofie feels. It’s hard to be the smartest kid in school, and it’s hard when you’re the object of teasing. Which is why it was so important for me to start this program at the schools in the first place.” He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s been working pretty well, but once in a while…” His voice trailed off as his gaze met hers. Cassie merely stared at him, trying to absorb everything he was telling her.
“You were teased?” she repeated in surprise, then she chuckled. “I can’t imagine anyone teasing you. For what? Being too perfect?” The moment the words were out, she flushed, realizing what she’d said, but he merely smiled. It warmed his eyes, chasing away the darkness, and softening his entire face.
“Uh, actually, I was teased because I was too smart, and because I was overweight and wore glasses. And to add insult to injury, everyone else had parents and I just had my uncle, Jasper—who everyone in town considers rather eccentric.”
“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said, hearing the pain from his youth still radiating in his voice. “But eccentric is a relative term around here. My mother’s the town psychic, remember? And my aunt Louella is the town astrologer. So you have to go pretty far and wide to convince me someone else is eccentric,” she finished with a laugh.
Together, her mother and aunt could easily qualify as the town’s certifiable eccentrics.
“I guarantee Uncle Jasper definitely qualifies as eccentric as well,” Beau admitted with a chuckle. “And he’s also an amateur astronomer. Sofie told me she’s very interested in the solar system and the stars and planets.”
“Yes, she is. In Madison, our next-door neighbor was a retired professor and an amateur astronomer. She would invite Sofie over and show her how to look through her telescope, explaining everything Sofie saw. She’s the one who got Sofie interested in science and astronomy and the solar system to begin with.”
“Well, we actually have an observatory on our property.”
“You’re kidding?” The rambling old house on the edge of town had been little more than a curiosity piece—fodder for gossip for years. It was hard to believe that there was actually an observatory on the grounds. Or much else.
“Nope. Not kidding. In fact, I invited Sofie to dinner this evening so she could see for herself. I think we might be able to use Sofie’s interest in science to help her with this teasing problem.”
“Dinner?” Cassie repeated suspiciously and his eyes twinkled a moment before he threw back his head and laughed. “What,” she demanded. “What on earth are you laughing at?”
“You,” he said simply, stroking a finger down her cheek and almost making her jump out of her skin. He shook his head. “Cassie, I wish you didn’t act like I’d just invited you to dinner in the devil’s den,” he teased, making her flush. “Most people in town think I’m a pretty upstanding citizen,” he reminded her.
“Well, you said…dinner,” she stammered and he nodded.
“That’s right, I did.” Casually, he slipped his hands in his coat pockets and rocked back on his heels. “But I was thinking more along the lines of chocolate, peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches with milk, as opposed to say roses, candlelight and moonlight.” He shrugged. “It’s merely to help Sofie, Cass. Like I said, she’s going to need our help if she’s going to conquer this problem.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “So what do you say? Do you think you can give me the benefit of the doubt and have dinner at my house tonight? For Sofie’s sake, of course,” he added with a twinkle in his eye that only made her more suspicious.
“Just dinner?” she clarified and he nodded, raising his hand in the air as if taking an oath.
“Just dinner. Promise.”
Cassie rubbed her chilled arms. “Fine,” she all but snapped. “Dinner it is then.”
He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you both around…six?”
“Fine.” Having dinner with the town Romeo wasn’t nearly as bad as having her daughter’s feelings hurt so bad that she was contemplating running away.
Cassie glanced at Beau one last time before he headed out the door and her traitorous heart flipped over and fluttered, annoying her to no end.
She could handle this. And him, she told herself.
She hoped!
Chapter Two
By the time Cassie closed the salon for the night she was late. A last-minute walk-in had delayed her by almost an hour and a half.
It was dark now, and the weather had turned bitter and nasty. Snow was falling much harder, slicking the streets and coating the sidewalks, making both walking and driving hazardous. Luckily, she didn’t have too far to go, and Beau had picked up Sofie earlier because Cassie was running so late.
Cassie shut off the lights for the night, grabbed her purse and let herself out the front door, locking up behind her.
Standing on the sidewalk, blanketed by fast-falling snow, she couldn’t help but grin when she looked at the front of her shop, feeling an unexpected thrill.
She’d done it, she thought giddily, resisting the urge to hug herself as she headed toward her car. It had taken her six long, hard years to accomplish her dreams, she thought with a sigh as she brushed snow off her windshield, then unlocked the car and got in. But it had been worth it. Every terrifying moment. Safety and security for herself and her daughter, as well as her own hard-won independence, were what were important to her, what she’d worked so hard to gain.
While other women her age were living a carefree existence, out shopping for shoes, sipping lattes and partying at night while they patiently waited for Mr. Right to show up, she was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
She’d learned firsthand how high the cost of trusting the wrong man could be. And she was determined not to make that kind of mistake—with any man—ever again.
Which was why Dr. Beau Bradford frightened her so much, she realized with a shiver. He reminded her far too much of Sofie’s selfish, irresponsible father. An immature young man who had used his good looks and charm to infiltrate her young life and take advantage of her inexperience and her youth. Then just as quickly he had used his parents’ money and power to extricate himself from her life once he’d learned they were going to be teenage parents.
In spite of all the hardships she’d endured in order to keep and raise her daughter, Cassie had never regretted her decision to become a single parent, not for one moment, because Sofie was worth more than life itself.
