straighten out my own brother. How am I ever going to show that man how to love his son the way he should?”
No easy answer came. She didn’t expect it to.
It was over a week before Tina had any news for Zac about available housing. The trouble was, the only house she’d found was the one close to hers. Too close. She wrestled with her conscience all day, knowing she should give him an update about it and hating to because she didn’t want to have to deal with him as a neighbor. Nevertheless, she gave in and presented the address when he came to call for Justin.
“This is the rental I told you about,” Tina said. “If you haven’t found a place yet, this one is going to be vacant soon. The landlord wants to have a chance to clean it up and paint it before he rents it again, so I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a while.” Shrugging, she said, “Sorry. It was the best I could do.”
“How about if I volunteer to do the painting to save time? I really don’t want to keep Justin in that motel any longer than I have to. It’s not enough like a home.”
“I agree. He told me a lot of his toys are in storage and he wants to be able to get the boxes out and play with everything. He rattled off a list of treasures that had the other kids drooling.”
“My son told you all that?”
“In great detail. He has a very good vocabulary for a child his age. I suppose that comes from spending so much time with adults.”
“The only adult he has much to do with is me,” Zac said. “And you, of course. He talks about Miss Tina all the time. I think he has a crush on you.”
She laughed lightly. “That’s pretty normal, too. I can’t help but get attached to these kids and they respond to me the same way. I love ’em all. Even Tommy.”
“The kid I was going to paint purple?” Zac chuckled. “I remember. Is he still acting up?”
“From time to time. He’s a healthy boy. He can’t help some of the things he does, like not sitting still or not remembering to keep his hands to himself. But he’s improving. They all are.”
“Even my son?”
The man looked so concerned, she decided to go into more detail. “Justin has never caused me any trouble. Actually, that much virtue had me worried to begin with, but I’ve been watching him, and he’s beginning to act more normal. I’ve actually seen him getting into a little mischief lately.”
Zac stiffened. “I’ll have a talk with him.”
“No!” Tina was so adamant she forgot herself and grabbed Zac’s forearm, holding tight. “Don’t you dare. That would spoil everything. He’s just starting to loosen up and have fun here.”
Casting a wary glance at her hand where it gripped his bare arm, Zac said, “Looks like he’s not the only one who’s loosening up. Your fingernails are leaving dents. If I promise to behave myself, will you let go of me?”
“Oops. Sorry.” Embarrassed, Tina jumped back. It would be a hot day at the North Pole before she touched that man again! She didn’t have to look in a mirror to know her cheeks were bright pink. So was her neck.
“You’re forgiven. It’s nice to know you care so much. About Justin’s welfare, I mean.” He cleared his throat. “By the way, that’s a great color on you.”
Brushing her hands over her skirt, she said, “This? Thanks. I chose it because the paint spots blend right in.”
Zac was clearly amused. “Actually, I meant the color on your face. Have you always blushed so easily?”
“Only when I forget myself and grab hold of strange men,” Tina responded with a nervous laugh. “Believe me, it doesn’t happen all that often.”
“Let’s hope not.” Looking across the room, he beckoned to his son. “Come on, Justin. We’re going to go look at a house before dinner.”
The little boy raced to his dad. “A real house?”
“Yes. A real house. See?” Zac showed him the paper with the address on it, then looked over at Tina. “I forgot to ask. How do we get there?”
“It’s not hard. You take the main highway west, past the market and up the hill, then veer right at the first road after the vacant lot where Ed Beasley used to keep all those rusty antique cars.” She was waving her hands for emphasis.
“Who?”
Frustrated, Tina realized they had a basic information problem. “Never mind. I forgot. Ed sold out and moved before you came to town. I usually navigate by familiar landmarks, which is a good thing since the dirt roads around here don’t have street signs posted.”
“Could you draw me a map?”
“I have a better idea.” She glanced at the wall clock. “If you can wait another twenty minutes, I can lead you there myself. That way you won’t get lost. When I first moved here I took a wrong turn on one of those unmarked roads and I thought I’d never find my way back to civilization.”
“So, the house is stuck way out in the country? I’m not sure that’s what I’m looking for.”
“Unpaved streets do not mean it’s rustic,” Tina countered. “You’ll see. It’s a lovely house. And the yard is fenced so you won’t have to worry about Justin wandering off when he’s playing outside.”
Zac was shaking his head. “That’s not a problem. My son always stays where he can see me and I can see him, when we’re at home.”
It was his matter-of-fact attitude that gave Tina pause. No normal child of four kept an eye on his or her parent every minute. It wasn’t natural. Or healthy. Zac Frazier was a smart man, an educated man. Why couldn’t he see that?
Or was it just that he didn’t want to?
Zac hung around until the last of the children had been picked up, then he and Justin followed Tina out to the parking lot. He’d pictured her as the convertible or the sports car type. Instead, she floored him by climbing into an old, dusty, blue pickup truck.
He secured Justin in his seat in the rear of their minivan and got behind the wheel. Hopefully, he hadn’t looked too surprised at Tina’s mode of transportation. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings when she was trying so hard to do him a favor.
She pulled alongside, windows rolled down. “Ready?”
“Lead the way,” Zac called.
As soon as she drove off, he turned up the van’s air-conditioning. Ahead, he could see Tina’s long, light brown hair blowing in the wind. She might not be driving a fancy new convertible, but he hadn’t been far wrong about her overall attitude. She looked exactly like the free spirit he’d been picturing ever since they’d met.
No wonder she wasn’t interested in settling down and getting married. She wasn’t the sweet, contented homemaker type Kim had been. Thinking of his late wife gave Zac a familiar jolt of guilt. He’d been over and over the boating accident in his mind and had never come up with a clear cause, yet his subconscious kept insisting
