Slow Ride (Riding with Honor)

Rough Ride

Wild Ride

Long Ride

Slow
Ride

Riding with Honor series book 2

Rebecca M. Avery

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and incidents either are the prod
uct of the author’s imagination or are being used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012

Rebecca M. Avery

Cover Design by George Guignet (Miserable George)

[email protected]

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

Library of Congress Catalog

ISBN-
13: 978-1481277792

Rebecca M. Avery

To Warren, a remarkable
daddy in every sense of the word and to Becky, who opened her heart to another woman’s children.  This Melody thanks you both.

“Why would you only put three students in my class if the rest of you are full to capacity?  I realize that I am new to this position but I can
assure
you that I can handle more than three students,” Dana Atkinson said indignantly.

“If you still feel that way tomorrow then we can see about rearranging some of the students from the other classes into yours
,” Anita said looking at the other two teachers.

As the boss of the Healthy Habits Day Care and Preschool Center, Anita Hargrove made the final decisions on class sizes and schedules. 

Being the newest staff member, Dana knew she shouldn’t argue with Anita but something about the situation just didn’t seem right.  Even without a classroom aide three students felt like an insult.

Sighing in resignation she turned and headed out of the break room
, stopping to check her mailbox though she knew it would be empty.

“Not that I am complaining
, but what are you doing putting a brand new teacher with Gretchen?  That child will chew her up and spit her out and then complain about the taste,” Tina Smith, one of the other teachers, said.

Unable to stop herself from ea
vesdropping on the conversation, she shuffled some papers around on the counter next to the mailboxes in an attempt to look busy, should anyone step out of Anita’s office.

“Ms. Atkinson has several changes that are happening in her personal life and I’m not sure that once she realizes the full impact of those changes she will stay on here.  Putting Gretchen in her class merely gives her an out if she finds the job to be too much in light of those changes
,” Anita answered.

“Well I guess we will head out to the hallway and await our coke break then.  Gretchen may be the child of the devil but that devil
sure
is fine!” Tina laughed.  The other teacher, Susan Radcliff, agreed and they both laughed again.

Dana hurried away from the open doorway and nearly ran down the hall to her classroom so that she wouldn’t be caught listening in to their
gossip.  Their conversation may have been
about
her but it wasn’t meant
for
her.  So Anita thought that becoming a foster mother to a sick infant would be too much for her to handle.  Well Anita was in for a surprise. 

She had waited so long to be a mother and now that the opportunity presented itself
, she was not about to give it up even in light of this new job.  She had become a foster parent with the intention of adopting.  She had requested only long term placements from Child and Family Services and only for children under the age of five.  This would be her first placement and she was both nervous and excited, but ready.

She could hear Tina and Susan giggling down the hall.  Though she didn’t have their experience or time on the job, she couldn’t comprehend the fear that one child’s name seemed to create in them.  Gretchen McMurray.  The child was four and had a birthday coming up in just a few days.  Well she wasn’t concerned about Gretchen.  Quite honestly she was more concerned with the other two teacher’s reaction
s to the child.  It was unprofessional at best.

All three of the students in her class would be old enough for Kindergarten in the fall should they pass their screening tests.  Most children that came to the preschool side of the center were not nearly ready for Kindergarten and wouldn’t expect to start until they were six.  Those children that were ready often didn’t start due to parental issues more so than the actual abilities of the child. 

This was a low income neighborhood and the center received funding from the state.  The children attending the preschool during these summer months needed extra help to get them where they needed to be academically, socially and in Gretchen’s case, behaviorally.  Or so she’d heard.  Those things didn’t matter.  She was here to teach and would give each child the attention and focus they needed. 
Every child
…and that included Gretchen McMurray.

“We should stop in and see if she needs any help setting up her classroom
,” Susan whispered to Tina from right outside her classroom door.

“Good Morning
.” Dana smiled at them as she sat the box of craft items she’d brought in on her desk and placed her purse in one of the drawers.

Stepping in the doorway they smiled back at her and
migrated to a corner of the room where they absently re-arranged books and toys. 
They must be waiting to see her reaction to Gretchen.
  She’d already been told that Gretchen was the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave in the evening.  It was sad really, those people who could have children so easily but who never appreciated them.

Having finished unpacking the box of crafts onto a long counter that stood at the side of the
classroom near the windows, she headed for the remaining supplies she would need.  After unlocking the metal storage closet at the back of the room she realized the doors were jammed.  Balancing the empty box on the top of the closet, she began jerking and tugging on the handles.  She knew funds were exceptionally tight at the center but this closet was an accident waiting to happen.

With one final tug the doors flew open knocking her backwards a step.  A startled squeal escaped her
as she watched the empty box fall to the ground beside her and realized the metal cabinet was dangerously close to toppling over on top of her.  Strong hands reached around and above her, catching the metal closet and pushing it back up against the wall.

“Holy
shit!  That was close Daddy!” a child’s voice echoed through the now quiet room.

“Gretchen!”
a man scolded.

Looking down
, Dana was astonished that such a vulgar phrase could have come from such a sweet looking little girl.  She was tiny and thin but had beautiful blonde hair all pulled back into a ponytail and the warmest brown eyes Dana had ever seen.  A well-defined dimple blessed one cheek and gave the impression that she was smiling all the time.

“You must be Gretchen.  I’m Ms. Atkinson
,” Dana said to her before turning to the man who now stood behind her ensuring the filing cabinet was securely upright. “This must be your…”

The words died on her lips
upon seeing the man who stood so close behind her that she nearly knocked him down when she turned around.  She was tall for a woman at five foot ten but he stood several inches taller than her.  So rather than being eye to eye, as she was with most men, her gaze landed on a lopsided grin.  When her gaze traveled up from the grin on his face she caught a dimple much like the little girl’s and the same amazing eyes.

“Daddy?”
the man asked.

“Excuse me?”
she replied.

“You started to ask if I was her Daddy, right?”
he asked again as another lopsided grin appeared.

Holy
shit was right.
  The man might have easily stepped off the pages of GQ Magazine, even
with
his windblown hair that was a little long and shaggy looking.  He wore jeans and a t-shirt that advertised a motorcycle shop and had aviator style sunglasses balanced on top of his head.

Pulling herself together she stepped back from him “Mr. McMurray, it’s nice to meet you.  I’m Ms. Dana Atkinson
,” she said, offering her hand.

Gripping
her hand with his large and work worn fingers, he raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles.  Fire seemed to travel from his heated breath on the back of her hand up her arm.

“Daddy…
really?” Gretchen asked sarcastically.  “She’s my teacher!”

“Can’t I say hi?”
he asked as his eyes seemed to undress Dana until she nearly raised her hands to cover herself from their scrutiny.

“Yea, say hi and then leave
,” Gretchen replied hotly.

“You aren’t still mad at me are you?”
he asked, dropping her hand and pulling his warm gaze from her to focus on the tiny girl.

“I told you, I don’t want to come here ...I’m not a baby anymore!  Can’t I go to work with you?  I’ll even stay in the office with Miss Lilly… please
, Daddy?” she begged.

“Not today
. I’ve got things I have to do and so do you… like getting ready for Kindergarten.  This is preschool not daycare, so you’re right, you are
not
a baby anymore,” he replied.

“Yea…Whatever!”
she said loudly and then huffed over to a chair and flopped down in it crossing her arms.

Following behind her he said
, “You best be good today for Ms. Atkinson.  Watch your mouth and be nice to the other kids.”

“Or
…what?” Gretchen asked defiantly.

“I’m done with this conversation
little missy, but if you give her a hard time you will not go to the Bama Bike Fest,” he threatened.

Watching the interaction between them she could not help but wonder who the parent was in this whole process.

Turning back to Dana he said, “I should be here around five this evening to pick her up.  If she gives you any shh… problems, just let me know or you can call the shop.  Anita has the number.”

With that he smiled at her and it nearly took her breath away.  Then turning
, he winked at Tina and Susan and headed out the door.  They stared at the door long after he disappeared through it.

“He’s gone now so yo
u can go back to your own rooms,” Gretchen said angrily.

“Gretchen I understand you are upset at having to be somewhere you don’t want to be.  However, this is my classroom and
I
get to say who stays and who goes.  Now apologize,” Dana said to her.

The child stared at both women with a defiant look on her face.  Anger seemed to radiate from her little body but she remained quiet.

“One thing you will learn about me Gretchen is that when you behave well, I treat you well.  Apologize for being disrespectful or I will find another student leader for this class from amongst the other students,” Dana said.

She could see Gretchen look at her out of the corner of her eye and then turning to where Tina and Susan stood with their mouths open,
Gretchen said, “Sorry.”

The
two teachers looked at each other and then headed for the door.

“I’m not sure you heard Gretchen since she didn’t speak very loudly. She apologized…” Dana said to them.