dog gave a whimper of pleasure when he saw Hailey but followed her command to sit instead of jump, which had obviously been his impulse.
She grabbed the leash from the side table and clipped it on, before stepping back outside the door.
He looked business casual in black trousers, a gray shirt and shiny wing tips. Winn’s lips curved in a slow smile that caused a fluttering in her belly.
Completely understandable, she told herself. A handsome man. A lazy smile. She’d have to be dead not to react.
The blood sliding through her veins like warm honey assured Hailey she was very much alive.
“Hey there, neighbor.” She offered him a smile of her own. “Hope the barking didn’t disturb you too much.”
“It did.” His eyes held an impish gleam. “But I know a way you can make it up to me.”
The banter wasn’t new, nor was the hint of electricity accompanying it. What surprised Hailey was her reaction, stronger than before. Keeping her hand firmly on the leash while the dog quivered at her side, she batted lashes at Winn. “What do you have in mind?”
Before Winn could respond, Cam stepped forward. His face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning when he saw the dog. A low whine formed in Bandit’s throat.
Hailey loosened the retractable leash and said in a low tone, “Go to him.”
The dog raced across the short distance and Cam’s thin arms encircled him. The boy buried his face in the silky fur. Winn’s eyes met Hailey’s.
“That,” he said, “was what you could do.”
He gazed down at the boy with such affection in his eyes that Hailey felt tears sting the back of her lids. She quickly blinked them away.
Though she hadn’t yet made up her mind about his offer, it was obvious Winn needed a friend to help him traverse this difficult time.
“I was thinking of heading out to my parents’ ranch,” she said in an offhand tone. “It’s a nice day to ride horses, maybe have a picnic. You and Cam are welcome to join me.”
Cam lifted his head at the mention of horses, but his hand remained firmly on the dog’s back. “W-would Bandit come, too?”
Hailey nodded.
Winn glanced down at his tailored pants and shirt. “I’m not dressed for riding.”
“Hmm.” Hailey brought a finger to her lips. “You could change. Perhaps into something less stodgy.”
Winn’s dark brows winged up.
“Oops, I meant to say something more comfortable.”
That brought a chuckle from Winn. “Give me a few minutes to make a couple of calls and get out of these ‘stodgy’ clothes.”
Hailey’s lips twitched before she turned her attention to the boy. “Cam, would you like to keep Bandit company while I toss together a picnic lunch?”
Cam’s head jerked up and he glanced at his father.
“Up to you,” Winn said.
“Okay.”
The boy followed her into her condo and glanced around. She wondered if he noticed the difference between her overstuffed sofa with its colorful pillows and eclectic wall art and his father’s perfectly decorated interior.
She doubted it. Cam was so focused on Bandit he barely gave anything around him a second glance. But when she pulled out French bread then started to cube some cheese, the boy moved to the counter to watch.
“I—I already ate,” he stammered.
Though his eyes didn’t meet hers, Hailey saw it as a positive that the boy had initiated the conversation. “Riding horses always makes me hungry. I bet it makes you hungry, too.”
Cam shrugged. After a couple of seconds, he took a tentative step forward.
“You smell good,” he told her. “M-my mommy, sh-she smelled good, t-too.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Hailey caught sight of Winn, who’d just entered her condo. He paused at Cam’s words.
“You must miss her,” Hailey murmured.
“Sh-she m-might be coming to get me.” Cam looked up then and Hailey saw confusion and hope in his childish eyes. “P-people say she’s dead. B-but what if she’s looking for me? She m-might go to my house, but I—I won’t be there. Sh-she w-w-won’t know where I am.”
It was a lot of words, filled with emotion and struggle. Hailey didn’t interrupt and her heart ached at the underlying pain.
She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and considered her response. Though undoubtedly this was something Winn should handle, the boy had shared his fears with her. It seemed wrong to ignore the question or redirect him to his dad.
“Your mother was a wonderful person who loved you very much.” Hailey gentled her tone and met his gaze. “But she won’t be coming back. Not because she wouldn’t want to be with you, but she can’t.”
Tears spilled from those big sad hazel eyes and slipped down his cheeks. Answering ones welled in hers.
She placed a light hand on the small bony shoulder. “But your dad is here and—”
“M-my daddy is dead.” Cam jerked away, clenching his small hands into fists at his sides.
“He isn’t dead, honey,” Hailey said gently, not bothering to hide her confusion. “Your dad is right behind you.”
Cam turned. His jaw jutted up when his gaze settled on Winn. He shook his head. “That’s not my dad.”
Hailey saw Winn tense.
“Of course he is,” Hailey protested.
“He’s not,” the boy doggedly insisted. “Mommy told me.”
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