that have to be done and he wasn’t through with the dishes when the show came on.”
“I understand.” Caleb forced himself to keep his hands from clenching at his sides. Chores were an important part of a family, but, like Anne, he wasn’t so sure about the Givens’ motives for taking in foster children. He’d been around other foster parents, especially Reverend Fraser and his wife, who loved their charges and their home reflected that love. When he’d been inside the Givens’ home, he didn’t feel that kind of love for the children. They were a business to Rex and Cora Givens. “I’d like to counsel Dylan on a formal basis. He needs more than he’s getting right now coming to the center and just hanging out.”
Rex straightened his large frame in the small chair, its creaking sound permeating the porch. “You can say that again. Dylan’s more than Cora and me can handle. He resents any work we want him to do around the house. His attitude has been affecting the others in the short time he’s been here.” He crossed his arms. “Frankly, we don’t know what to do about the boy anymore. We’re thinking of calling the state to place him somewhere else.”
Caleb’s hand curled into a fist. “Let me work with him first. Give me a chance.”
“He’s been going to the youth center for the past month and nothing about his attitude has changed.”
“It takes time, Mr. Givens,” Anne said, shifting next to Caleb, her hand brushing up next to his fist, as though she sensed his tension and was trying to reassure him.
Her soft voice tempered Caleb, and he uncurled his hand. Lord, what do I do? Dylan needs me.
“I can’t let the boy disrupt my household and set the wrong example. I have four other children to think about.”
Caleb didn’t want Dylan to be moved from foster home to foster home if there was a better solution. “Give me until the end of this month before you make a decision. Please.” He gave up fighting his feelings and took Anne’s hand. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her surprise reflected in her expression, but he didn’t release his hold nor did she pull her hand away.
Rex rose. “Fine. But if things don’t get better soon, I’ll be talking to Dylan’s case manager about another foster home.”
Caleb stood at the same time as Anne, their clasped hands dropping to their sides. For a second he had a strong urge to grab hold of her again. Stunned by the need, he stepped away. “Don’t say anything to Dylan about your plans.”
“You’ve got four weeks, Reverend. Things have got to get better or Dylan needs to go back to the state.”
Anne stiffened and started to say something but stopped herself. Instead, she stalked down the steps and walked toward his Suburban. Caleb watched her until she stopped at the curb and waited for him. He, too, fought the anger roiling in his stomach. Rex Givens wanted only easy children to raise. Life wasn’t that simple. Caleb wondered how much of the man’s attitude Dylan was aware of.
“What’s her problem?” Rex asked, tossing his head in the direction of Anne.
Caleb bit back what he really wanted to say to the man about children being precious resources, not commodities to trade in when something didn’t go just right. He needed a chance to counsel Dylan and that meant going through Rex Givens. “I’ll start working with Dylan after school on Monday if that’s okay with you,” he said, rather than answering Rex.
“Fine.” The large man shuffled toward the screen door. “Personally I think it’s a waste of your time. But then it’s your time, not mine.”
Caleb hurried from the porch before he said something he shouldn’t. Anne leaned against his car, her ankles crossed, her arms folded over her chest, nothing casual about her stance. When she lifted her gaze to his, all the anger he felt was deep in her eyes. He reached around her and opened the door. She slipped inside.
When he slid in behind the wheel, the swirling tension in the small confines of his Suburban escalated to a minitornado. He twisted around to look at her and try to defuse the moment.
“I can’t believe that man! Did you hear him? Those children don’t mean a thing to him. I know foster parents aren’t always easy to find, but he and Cora shouldn’t be ones at all. I—” Her mouth closed about the words she was going to say, the line of her jaw hard.
Anne’s face in her self-righteous anger was a beautiful sight to behold. She was like a female bear protecting her cubs, intending to throw her body in the way of danger. The zeal in Anne appealed to him. Why had he never seen it before? Because she was a master at keeping herself in the background, of blending in so no one noticed her. But he noticed her now—the flushed cheeks, the blue sparkle in her eyes, the full pouty lips.
“I know. I wish I had an—” Caleb stopped, an idea forming in his mind.
“What?”
“I could apply to be Dylan’s foster parent.”
The fury siphoning from her, Anne smiled. “That would be perfect! Then he wouldn’t have to leave Chestnut Grove if there wasn’t another family to take him in. He’s been making friends here. I would hate to take that away from him. And the best part is, you can work with him and maybe help him.”
Caleb started the engine. “It might work.”
“It will work. I have a good feeling about it.”
He slanted a look toward Anne. “It’s dinnertime. Want to go grab something to eat at the Starlight Diner?”
“I—I—” Flustered, Anne snapped her mouth closed, color tingeing her cheeks a pretty rosy hue.
“What? No? Yes?”
She nodded.
“Good. I’ve just realized I’m starved. It’s been a long day looking for a runaway, making flyers, dealing with Rex Givens. I hope you’re hungry, because I’m planning on having dessert in celebration.”
“Celebration?”
“Yeah. Hopefully I’ve found a way to help Dylan.” Caleb’s spirits lifted even more when he saw the smile grow on Anne’s face. He grinned in return, feeling like a teenage boy discovering the appeal of girls.
“What if the Givens decide to keep Dylan?”
Pulling away from their house, Caleb said, “I’ve got the feeling they won’t mind me applying for the job. They’ll probably welcome it. From what Rex said, they would much rather have an easier child to parent.”
“And if Dylan leaves their house, they’ll have room for another one?”
“Yep.”
Anne thought of her own parents and their lack of involvement in raising her. They had been wrapped up in their teaching at the college and their research projects. Although she still lived with them, even now she rarely saw her parents. She sometimes wondered if the only reason they had wanted her to live with them—in fact, they’d insisted—was so she could watch the house when they were gone, which was a lot lately with her father on the lecture circuit.
“Parenting shouldn’t be a business,” Anne said, then instantly regretted revealing her thoughts. She bit down on the
