Czytaj książkę: «A Family For Easter»

Chapter One

Fiona Farmingham clutched the edge of Chez La Ferme’s elegant tablecloth and wished she were home on the couch with her kids, eating popcorn and watching movies. Wearing sweats and slippers rather than heels and a dress and shapewear.

Based on tonight, at least, dating was way overrated.

“You should come see me in Cleveland,” Henry said loudly, forking braised lamb shank into his mouth. “We have restaurants that would put this place to shame. Really fancy.”

She forced her face into something resembling a smile and pushed her roasted vegetables around her plate, not daring to look around at all the Rescue River customers and waitstaff Henry had probably just offended.

A throat cleared a couple of tables away, and she glanced up. A soccer-dad friend, Eduardo Delgado, was looking over his date’s shoulder, smiling at Fiona with what looked like sympathy.

Her tight shoulders relaxed a little. Eduardo’s warm, friendly face reminded her of school parent nights and carpools and kids’ league games. Her normal life.

She was a little surprised to see Eduardo, a single parent who worked as a groundsman at Hinton Enterprises, dining at their small Ohio town’s only upscale restaurant. He never even bought himself nachos or a hot dog at the school concession stand, always relying on a cooler from home for himself and his two kids instead. She’d thought that meant he was economizing, but maybe he was just into eating healthy.

“Did you hear me?” Henry scooted his chair closer. “I have a nice big house. Six bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. You should come visit!”

Like that was going to happen. She channeled her society-perfect mother, who could out-polite the Queen of England, even managing a small smile. “With my kids, it’s hard for me to get away.”

“Yeah, four kids, that’s a lot!” Henry shook his head and attacked his spring pea risotto with vigor. She turned her chair half away and pretended to hear a sound from the evening bag she hadn’t used since attending society events with her late husband three years ago. She pulled out her cell phone and studied its blank screen. “Henry, I’m so sorry, but I think my kids need me.” Not a lie; kids always needed their parents, hers in particular. Right now, though, it was she who needed her kids.

“I thought you said you had a sitter. I was hoping we could spend more time together.”

“Thanks, but no, thanks. I really do have to go.” Fiona tried to keep her voice low, even though half the restaurant’s patrons had surely heard their discussion.

Why, oh, why had she let her friends Daisy and Susan talk her into online dating? But they’d both approved Henry’s profile, and he’d sounded nice on the phone.

She knew why: because she thought her kids might benefit from having a man in their lives. And, maybe a tiny bit, because she wished for a male companion who would care for her, even love her, just as she was.

Fat chance of that, fat being the operative word.

“Look, Fiona.” He gulped his drink and wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I wouldn’t have sprung for this expensive dinner if I’d known...”

Fiona stood and grabbed her purse, thankful she’d driven there in her own car. “Henry, it’s been...interesting to meet you.”

“Hey! You can’t just leave in the middle of—”

“Actually, I can.” She fumbled for her wallet. Why had she thought, for one minute, that she should try a relationship again?

“Can I help you?” Their waitress, a college-aged girl Fiona knew slightly, touched her forearm. Her curious expression made Fiona’s stomach twist.

She swallowed and lifted her chin, her mother’s training once again coming to her aid. “Thanks, yes, Mia. Separate checks, please, and I’m sure this will cover mine.” She extracted two twenties and handed them to the waitress. Then she turned, keeping her eyes on the front door. If she didn’t look to the right or the left, she could avoid the pitying stares that were surely coming her way.

“Oh, Mrs. Farmingham,” Mia called after her, “that’s way too much. You just had an appetizer and salad, and you didn’t even order a drink!”

Let the world know I’m dieting, would you? “It’s fine, keep the change.”

“Just hang on a minute.” It sounded like Henry’s mouth was full. “How much was it?”

Father God, please just let me get home, and I’ll forget about dating and just be happy being a mom. I’ll delete my online profile. I’ll avoid the matchmakers at the Senior Towers. She hurried away from the sound of Henry’s bargaining with poor Mia, toward freedom.

Outside, the spring breeze cooled her cheeks. With just an hour of daylight left, the setting sun was nestled in the clouds, turning the sky pink and gold.

She took deep breaths of the rich, fragrant farm-town air and reminded herself that she’d been through far worse than a bad date and had survived.

Behind her, she heard the restaurant door opening and the sound of voices, including Henry’s calling for her to wait.

She quickened her pace and stumbled a little. Slow down. This is embarrassing enough without you falling on your face. She reached her SUV, and the sight of her kids’ car seats, the snack bags scattered across the floor, reminded her once again of her priorities.

Her kids were what was important. Not a man. Men ridiculed and cheated on women like her.

She was opening the door when Henry caught up with her. “Hey, come on, what did I say wrong?” He grabbed her arm. “I like big gals!”

Seriously bad pickup line, buddy. She jerked away and started to climb into the driver’s seat. Not as easy in a dress and heels as in her usual mom uniform of jeans and sneakers, but she managed.

He didn’t let go of her forearm, and his fingertips pushed deeper into her skin. “What are you waiting for?” he asked, leaning in, standing on tiptoe. “You’re not getting any younger, and in a cow town like this, you’re never going to meet anyone— Hey!” Suddenly, his hand was off her. There was a low rough exchange of words, and then Henry was gone.

In his place stood Eduardo Delgado, the sunset glowing golden behind him. “Everything okay, Fiona? I got worried when he followed you out.”

She let her head rest on the steering wheel for just a few seconds. “Thank you. I... He didn’t want to leave me alone.”

“He will now.” A smile tweaked up the corners of Eduardo’s mouth as he gestured toward Henry, sliding into a silver Jaguar and slamming the door behind himself. The car started with a powerful roar and then backed out too fast, tires squealing. A moment later, Henry was gone.

“Wow. What did you say to him?”

“I explained how we treat women here in Rescue River. He decided he didn’t fit in.”

A surprised chuckle escaped her. Eduardo without his kids was...different.

She wondered if he’d heard that comment about big gals. She hoped not. Not because she especially cared what Eduardo thought. It was just...mortifying. “Thanks for taking time out of your date to rescue me.”

“It’s no problem. My date was a bust, too.” His mouth twisted a little to one side as he leaned back against her open car door. He was a big man, his muscles visible even in his suit jacket. Which made sense, given the kind of work he did.

“Where is your date?” she asked, looking around the parking lot.

“She left. Bad match.”

Fiona lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re online dating, too.”

“No. No way. But I did some work at the Senior Towers, and...” He looked down at the ground, shaking his head as a grin tugged at the side of his mouth.

“You let the ladies get to you!” Fiona laughed outright. “Nonna D’Angelo, right? She’s relentless.”

“They triple-teamed me. Nonna and Miss Minnie and Lou Ann Miller. Apparently, their matchmaking business is taking off, and they needed more men to participate.”

“And you started at Chez La Ferme?”

“That’s how they do it. They worked with the restaurant to cut first-time couples a special deal.” He was studying her curiously. “How well did you know your date?”

“Not at all. This was our first meeting.” She wrinkled her nose. “And our last.”

They smiled at each other, that eye-rolling sympathetic smile of fellow sufferers.

Eduardo’s phone pinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket and studied the face of it. Then he spun away and raced toward the other side of the parking lot.

“What’s wrong?” She climbed out of the SUV.

“Fire at my place!” he called over his shoulder.

“Oh, no! What can I do to help?” She ran a few steps toward him, then stopped. If he needed her, she should take her own car.

“Sitter says kids are okay!” he called as he climbed into a truck with the logo Delgado Landscaping on the side.

An unrelated thought—I didn’t know he ran his own landscaping business in addition to working for Hinton Enterprises—distracted her. Par for the course. “Fiona brain,” her brother had called it. She shook her head, refocused in time to see Eduardo pulling out of the parking lot, his phone to his ear.

Fiona started her car and pulled out. She’d run home and check on the kids, get them into bed and see if the sitter could stay late. Then she’d go check on Eduardo. Even though he’d said his kids were fine, a fire could be devastating. They might need some help she could offer.

* * *

Eduardo slammed on the brakes in front of his rented duplex. No flames, but there were flashing lights, caustic smoke and men’s voices registered as he looked around, fixated on just one thing: finding his kids.

“Papa!” Sofia called.

Eduardo turned toward the voice. When he saw Sofia and Diego running toward him, he knelt, opened his arms and clutched them to him, his throat tight.

His children had been at risk. He could have lost them.

Through his own negligence, just like with their mother. He had no plans to get involved with someone else, so why had he left his children with a sitter so he could go on a silly date?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “They’ve had a scare, but they were never in danger,” said Lou Ann Miller, his babysitter. In her late seventies, she was sharper and more agile than a lot of people half her age.

Her words calmed him and he stood, keeping a hand on each child’s shoulder. “You’re all right, Lou Ann? What happened?”

“We’re all fine, and the fire seems to be contained to the bathroom,” she said. “But no thanks to a smoke alarm, and you really ought to talk to your landlord about that.”

“I was the one who smelled the smoke,” Diego announced.

“And I ran out in the hall and saw fire!” Sofia leaned close to Eduardo. “It was scary, Papa. Miss Lou Ann made us run across the street to the Silvases’ house and call 911.”

“And she broke the door of the new neighbors to get them out!” Diego’s voice sounded impressed. “She used a hammer!”

Eduardo’s heartbeat was returning to normal, and he looked up at Lou Ann.

“They weren’t answering the door, and since it’s a duplex...” She shrugged apologetically. “I broke a window and reached in to unlock their door. They’d fallen asleep and didn’t hear the doorbell or the knocking.”

He looked at her quizzically. “They were sleeping heavily this early in the evening?”

“Very,” she said, meeting his eyes with meaning in her own. “Pretty much passed out.”

From what Eduardo had seen of the new neighbors, drinking or drugs had probably been involved. “They’re okay?”

She nodded. “The fire turned out to be small and the firefighters contained it quickly. They interviewed me and the kids already, but they’ll probably want to talk to you as well.”

“Of course.” As he made arrangements for Lou Ann to take the kids to her house and gave them more hugs and praise, his mind chewed on one pressing problem.

He had to get his kids into a safer home.

He’d chosen this place because it was inexpensive, in a decent neighborhood with a good-sized yard. When would he learn that his instincts were terrible when it came to keeping his family safe? Hadn’t Elizabeth’s death proved that?

A busy hour later, Eduardo sat on a concrete wall outside his wet, smoking home. They were fortunate that it was unseasonably warm for mid-March. As he watched firefighters and a police inspector finish examining the smoke and water damage, he tried to think about what to do next.

The firefighters had kept the flames from spreading to the shared attic, limiting the damage to just the Delgados’ bathroom. Apparently, when the men had pulled the ceiling down, they’d found insulation smoldering around an exhaust fan.

Eduardo clenched his fists, then consciously took a couple of deep breaths. The most important thing was that no one had been injured.

Police Chief Dion Coleman, who lived the next street over and seemed to know everything happening in the town, sat down beside him. “You okay, man?”

“Not really.” Eduardo looked blankly as neighbors gathered near the fire truck in the deepening twilight. On the other side of the yard, their landlord was still talking to an inspector, gesticulating wildly.

“I spoke with one of the firefighters, and he says damage looks minimal. You could probably move back in within a couple of weeks, and insurance would pay—”

“No.” Even the thought of taking his kids back inside the duplex appalled Eduardo. “We’ll be looking for somewhere else to live. Somewhere safe.”

“I understand.” Dion leaned forward, elbows on his knees, weaving his fingers together. “Rental market around here is tight, though. Where are your kids now?”

“Lou Ann Miller took them in for the night.” Eduardo gestured down the street toward the older woman’s house. “She was babysitting when it happened. I’m going to crash on her couch later, too, if I can even sleep.”

“This kind of thing can prey on your mind,” Dion said. “But you know the good Lord’s got you in His hand, right? Your kids, too.”

“Right.” Eduardo didn’t want to go into his fear that if Lou Ann and the kids hadn’t been awake and alert, the Lord might not have seen fit to save them. Not to mention the fact that the Lord hadn’t had Elizabeth in His hands when she’d struggled with cancer.

Or maybe it was just Eduardo himself who excelled at letting his family down.

Dion stood. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.” And he was gone.

Eduardo rubbed a hand across his face, and all of a sudden, Fiona Farmingham was in the spot Dion had vacated beside Eduardo on the concrete wall. “Eduardo, is there anything I can do to help?”

He squinted at her pretty features framed by long wavy red hair. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried. After I got my kids settled, I came over to see if there was anything I could do.”

“You have a sitter?” he asked inanely. He was still trying to process everything that had happened tonight. His brain seemed to be running at reduced speed.

“Yes, and I talked to her. She’s fine with staying later, and she put the kids to bed. But you have bigger things on your mind. Is there anything you and the kids need?”

He lifted his hands, palms up. “No. I’m just trying to figure out what to do. I have to find a new place to live.”

“It’s a total loss?”

“No, not much damage. But this happened because of an electrical issue.” He slammed his fist into his hand, shaking his head. “I knew there were maintenance problems, that the landlord wasn’t keeping the place up. I should have moved us out months ago.”

Hesitantly, she put a hand on his arm. “That must make you really mad. But the kids are okay. And you’re okay.” She squeezed his arm lightly and then pulled her hand back. “You can figure out who’s to blame later, even think about legal action. For now, you need to decide about the day-to-day stuff, what to do.”

Her voice was husky, calm, soothing. A little of the tension left his shoulders, chased away by the strange feeling that he had someone at his side, shoulder to shoulder. “Yeah. That’s right.”

She nodded briskly. “Your kids are settled for the night? And you have a place to sleep?”

“Lou Ann Miller’s house,” he said, nodding.

“Do you need clothes, toiletries, pajamas?”

“I don’t think so. I think they’re going to let me back in pretty soon, take me around and let me gather up some stuff. There’ll be an investigation, but it’s pretty clear the problem started with some faulty wiring in the bathroom exhaust fan. The smoke alarm malfunctioned, too, apparently.” He shook his head. “I’ve got to find a new place to live.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she nodded as if she’d made a decision. “You could stay in my carriage house.”

“What?” He cocked his head at her and frowned.

“It’s a complete three-bedroom little home. Used to be where people kept their carriages, and then it was a spare garage, but the previous owners modified it into a space that could work as an office or a rental. I was using it for... Doesn’t matter.” She waved her hand. “I’ve been planning to advertise for a tenant, anyway.”

Eduardo looked at Fiona. Her eyes held concern and the desire to help. The woman was kind and good, but he didn’t feel comfortable with the spur-of-the-moment offer. “I don’t see... We probably can’t make that work,” he said. “You have your own plans for the place. And anyway, I’m looking for something really safe, up to code, after what happened here.”

She glared at him. “Do you think I’d offer you a place that was dangerous or unsound?”

Oh, man, now he’d upset this kind woman who was only trying to help. “Of course not. I’m sorry. I’m a mess.”

“Understandable.” She stood up, something like insecurity creeping into her eyes. “I’m sure you have other options, but if you want to talk more about the place, I’ll be at church tomorrow.”

She bent down, put her arms around his shoulders for an awkward hug and then disappeared into the darkness.

Exhausted as he was by the events of the evening, Eduardo was awake enough to feel a particular warmth where she’d touched him.