the others? The children adore him, and I won’t hurt them.
Jacob finished the last bite of his hamburger and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “So next week is fall break. What kind of plans do you all have for the extra two days off from school?”
Several of the children launched into a description of their plans at the same time.
He held up his hand. “One at a time. I think you were first, Gabe.”
“Peter wants us to help him when he takes some of the animals to several nursing homes on Thursday.”
“And there’s a lot of work to be done on the barn expansion.” Susie, the oldest child in this cottage, which housed the younger kids, piped up the second Gabe stopped talking.
“He’s getting new animals all the time.” Terry, a boy with bright red-orange hair, stuffed the last of his burger into his mouth.
Jacob laughed. “True. Word has gotten around about this place.”
Nancy nodded. “Yep. I found a kitten the other day in the trash can outside.”
Jacob caught Hannah’s attention at the other end of the long table. “Do you have any activities planned that you need a chaperone for next week? Maybe I—”
“I think I’ve got it covered.” She looked down at her plate, using her fork to stir the baked beans around in a circle as if it were the most important thing to do.
“I’m sorry, Hannah, I didn’t get a chance to tell you I won’t be able to go to the zoo with you on Friday.” Meg, the cook and helper, stood and removed some of the dishes from the center of the table. “That was the only time I could get in to see the doctor about the arthritis in my knees.”
Nancy’s blond pigtails bounced as she clapped her hands. “Then Dr. Jacob can go with us!”
Hannah lifted her head and glanced from Meg to Nancy before her regard lit upon him. For a few seconds anxiety clouded her gaze. He started to tell her he didn’t have to go when a smile slowly curved her lips, although it never quite touched her eyes.
“You’re welcome to come with us to the zoo. It’ll be an all-day trip. We leave at ten and probably won’t get home until four.” Her stare stayed fixed upon him.
The intensity in her look almost made Jacob squirm like Andy, who had a hard time keeping still. She might not have meant it, but deep in her eyes he saw a challenge. Determined to break down the barrier she’d erected between them, he nodded. “I’ll be here bright and early next Friday, and I even know how to drive the minibus.”
“That’s great, since I don’t think Hannah’s had a chance to learn yet. If you aren’t used to it, it can be a bit awkward.” Meg stacked several more plates, then headed for the kitchen.
“You can take that kind of time off just like that?” Hannah snapped her fingers.
“I always leave some time during a break or the holidays for the kids.”
“Yep.” Terry, the child who had been at the cottage the longest, stood to help Meg take the dishes into the kitchen.
“Well, then it’s settled. I appreciate the help, especially with the minibus.” Hannah rose. “Who has homework still to do tonight?” She scanned the faces of the eight children at the dining-room table.
Several of them confessed to having to do more homework and left to get their books.
Gabe, short for his nine years, held up his empty plate. “I ate all my coleslaw.”
“Me, too.” Andy gestured toward his as Susie took it.
“You two aren’t part of the cleanup crew?” Jacob gave the girl his dishes.
Both boys shook their heads.
“Then get a game out, and I’ll be in there in a minute.”
“Can I play, too?” Nancy leaped to her feet. “I don’t have to clean up.”
Gabe frowned and started to say something, but Jacob cut him off with, “Sure you can.”
Nancy, being in kindergarten, was the youngest in the house. Jacob suspected that and the fact she was a girl didn’t set well with Gabe, and judging by Andy’s pout, him, either. But Jacob knew the importance of bonding as a family and that meant every child, regardless of sex or age, should have an opportunity to play.
Gabe and Andy stomped off with Nancy right behind them, her pigtails swinging as she hurried to keep up. Jacob turned toward Hannah and noticed the dining-room table had been cleared and they were totally alone now. That fact registered on her face at the same time. Her eyes flared for a second, then an indecipherable expression descended as though a door had been shut on him.
“I’m glad we have a few minutes alone.” The look of surprise that flashed into her eyes made him smile. “I forgot to tell you earlier that Andy’s mother is fighting to get him back. Peter just found out today.”
“She is?”
“And I’m not going to let that happen. I’ve seen his injuries.” I’ve been there. I know the horror. “He’s better off without her.”
“If she cleans up her act and stops taking drugs, he might be all right going back home. In the short time I’ve been around him, I’ve seen how determined he is to get back there.”
“He isn’t better off if he returns to her. Believe me.”
A puzzled look creased her forehead. “Then why does he want to go home?”
He shook his head slowly. “You’re new at this. Take my word in this situation—he shouldn’t go back to his mother. He’s the caretaker in that family of two and he feels responsibility as a parent would. Certainly his mother doesn’t.”
Hannah’s face reddened. She came around the side of the table within a few feet of him. “How do you know this for a fact? Has Andy said anything to you?”
“No, I just know. I was in foster care for many years. I’ve seen and heard many things you’ve never dreamed of. Give yourself a year. Your attitude that the birth parent is best will change.”
“I believe if it’s possible a family should be together. Tearing one apart can be devastating to a child.”
The ardent tone in her voice prodded his anger. His past dangled before him in all its pain and anguish. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, momentarily drowning out the sounds of the children in the other room. “Keeping a family together sometimes can be just as devastating.” He balled his hands at his sides. “Why did you really go into social work?” he asked as though her earlier reason wasn’t enough.
Her own temper blazed, if the narrowing of her eyes was any indication. “As I told you earlier, to help repair damaged families. But if that isn’t possible, to make sure the children involved are put in the best situation possible.”
His anger, fed by his memories, sizzled. Before he said anything else to make their relationship even rockier, he spun
