Teardrop Lane (21 page)

“Have you told them?”

Amy removed the last of the dishes from the dishwasher, then shrugged, not meeting Cicero’s gaze.

“No. We waited for you to get here. We thought you could reassure them about living in foster homes.”

“Reassure them. Right. They lost their mother, and now this. There is no such thing as reassurance, Amy. Not in this case.”

He finished with a stream of ugly language, then pivoted and banged his way out the door. Rose watched as he marched away from the Parnells’ home. She spared Amy a disapproving look, then hurried after him.

She had to jog, and then all but run.

“Can you believe them?” he asked. “They’re pregnant, so they want a redo on a promise to the dead woman who trusted them. Except for the baby. The baby is just a baby and a blood relation, so they’ll keep her. Isn’t Daisy lucky? Dammit, Rose, Jayne didn’t make the arrangements for her children lightly. She talked to both Scott and Amy more than once. They knew what they were getting into. They promised Jayne. They promised her! How can they do this?”

“I don’t know.”

Rose was in shock herself. How do you make this kind of promise involving children and then go back on your word?

“Me, either. It’s gonna tear those kids apart. I know they’re a pain. I know that parenting those four is probably a whole lot more than Scott and Amy figured, but they had their chance to say no. They said yes. You don’t get to change your mind about something that important.”

Rose didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. She had some experience with CPS. Caseworkers had an impossible job. They were usually incredibly overworked and burned out more frequently than just about
any profession she knew of. She wasn’t familiar with the foster system in Texas, but she couldn’t imagine it being easy to place three children in any one home for an extended period of time.

But then, that wasn’t going to be an issue, was it?

She’d gotten to know Hunt Cicero quite well over the past few weeks. He might bluster and protest and resist, but he wasn’t going to let his sister’s family be broken up, was he?

Rose knew it in her heart of hearts. Cicero wasn’t going to walk away from these kids.

“It’s true they are pains in the ass, but what kids those ages aren’t? Not Misty, though. She is just as sweet as can be. Keenan and Galen are boys. Just normal little boys. And Daisy is their sister. Their sister! What in hell makes Amy and Scott think it’s okay to pick one child over the others? Seriously? Because she’s a”—he made finger quotes—“
blood relation
? That just totally pisses me off.”

“So what are you going to do?” She knew he needed to think hard about this, but there really was only one solution.

“What can I do? I can’t force them to be parents.”

Rose didn’t say anything.

Cicero raked his fingers through his hair. “I guess I can talk to the social worker, explain how important it is for them to stay together.”

She responded carefully. “Yes, you can do that.”

“I can cough up more money. Surely with enough money on the line the social worker could find a family to take all of them.”

“Yes. Surely. Except for Daisy. The Parnells are going to keep Daisy.”

He muttered another curse. “That’s B.S.”

“They’re her legal guardians.”

“Yeah, well, under false pretenses. If Jayne had known
they were going to pull this nonsense only a few months after she died, she’d have made different arrangements.”

“What arrangements? What other choice did she have?”

Silence reigned in the wake of that question, just as she expected. To Rose, the solution was obvious, but Cicero needed to find his way there himself. He’d get there, but it wouldn’t be a quick or easy journey. He’d fight it before surrendering.

“I had some really great foster homes.”

“That’s good.”

“Jayne and I got to stay together in three of them.”

“I’m sure that was very comforting for you.”

“It was.”

“Keenan and Galen are young,” Rose said. “They’ll probably have adoptive parents clamoring for them. Placing two young boys together probably won’t be impossible.”

“That leaves Misty the odd girl out. She’s nine. Shy. Watchful. Responsible. She tries to be brave, but underneath, she’s scared to death.”

“Maybe someone who wants the boys will consider taking her, too, to be an extra pair of hands.”

Cicero whipped his head around to glare at her. “That’s wrong. That’s just wrong. She deserved better than this. They
all
deserve better. They deserve parents! Parents who love them and put them first, Rose. This is going to damage these children. A rejection like this one will affect them the rest of their lives. You don’t just give children away!”

Rose inhaled a breath.

He closed his eyes. “You know I don’t mean—Rose, I’m sorry. That was poorly done of me.”

“I understand what you meant.”

“Still, it was insensitive. I’m pissed off that people who promised Jayne something when she was dying,
told her the one thing she cared about and needed to hear—that her kids would be okay and cared for—it was all lip service.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and his long-legged strides ate up the ground. They turned a corner, and Rose spied a neighborhood park halfway up the block. When she saw the group of young boys leaving the concrete basketball court, she fished in her back pocket for the change she’d stuck there earlier in the day. Cicero was mumbling to himself, so she just ran ahead without saying anything.

She approached the boys holding out a ten-dollar bill. “Does anyone want to rent me their basketball? You can pick it up later at the Parnells’ house.”

She quickly had a taker, and by the time Cicero entered the park, the boys were gone, and she stood dribbling the basketball at center court. One thing she’d figured out early in their relationship was that physical exertion helped him think. He had some serious thinking to do right now.

“Heads up.”

She fired the ball at him. He caught it and took it to the basket. They took turns taking shots for about five minutes, and then Cicero started charging faster, jumping higher, dunking harder. She stepped back and let him work it out.

He ran. He jumped. He jigged and jagged at imaginary players. Shot lay-ups and practiced slam dunks. Soon sweat rolled down his face and his pace accelerated to nearly frenetic. He played hard for much longer than she had expected. The older children would be home from school by now.

Finally, he caught the ball and held it, then dropped his chin onto his chest. He drew in a series of deep breaths and exhaled in a heavy
whoosh
. Slowly, he turned his head and met Rose’s gaze.

“Those poor kids. Life has dealt them a raw deal all around.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“The Parnells can’t keep Daisy and dump the others. They’re a package deal. A family. I can’t let them be split up. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“No, you can’t let them be split up.”

“But I can’t take them myself, either. I’m a bachelor. A loner. I’m a wanderer. I’m accustomed to picking up and going when the spirit moves me. You can’t pick up and move four kids.”

Sympathy washed over Rose. He was fighting so desperately.

“I don’t know anything about childhood immunizations or potty training or oh, holy hell”—he met her gaze, a wild look of panic in his eyes—“
menstruation
!” She smiled. “You’ll learn, Hunter.”

He held up his hand, palm out.

“That’s just it. I don’t need to learn that stuff. I don’t want to learn it. Those kids need a parent, a father. I’m Uncle Skunk. Uncles don’t get a period!”

“See!” she said, her smile going wider. “You already have a grasp of basic biology that you can teach them.”

“Very funny.” He dropped the basketball, bounced it once. Twice. “I don’t know anything about being a father, Rose. I never had one.”

“Then you’re a perfect fit with those children. They’ve never had one, either.”

“Scott was supposed to fill that role, not me,” he said, continuing to let the basketball bounce. “He promised Jayne. I might lose track of time upon occasion, but I never go back on a promise. Look, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe the authorities will be able to find a foster home that will keep them together. Foster homes get a bad rap. There are some truly wonderful
people in the world who serve as foster families. I know that for a fact.”

She wondered once again about the burn scars on his chest. She’d never asked about them. This probably wouldn’t be the right time to bring them up. Or else it was exactly the right time to bring them up.

“I wish the Webers were younger. They’d grab these kids in a heartbeat.”

“Were the Webers one of your foster families?”

“Yeah. The best. They gave me—” He broke off abruptly, giving his head a shake. “The foster system can do a decent job for kids. Sure there are some homes that slip through the cracks, but those aren’t as common as people think. Out of the seven different homes I lived in, only one was seriously awful. And that wasn’t the fault of the foster parents as much as it was the other kids in the home.”

“Your scars. Were you burned by another foster child?”

He remained silent for a full dozen bounces of the ball. “Yeah. Kid was a serial killer in training, I’m sure. I was Keenan’s age.”

He let out a long, heartfelt sigh, then shot the ball toward the rim. When it whooshed through the net, he turned to her. “You just had to float that particular question right now, didn’t you? Not too subtle there, Dr. Anderson.”

She retrieved the ball and held it. “Ordinarily, I would say that you shouldn’t make such a huge decision so quickly. But honestly, it’s obvious what you are going to do.”

“It is?”

“You love those children, Hunt. Those children love you. What choice do you have, really?”

“I don’t have a choice. You’re right. What does that mean for us? You and I are just getting started.”

Only the force of her will kept Rose’s smile fixed. It hadn’t occurred to her until just now that his solution for the children might not include Eternity Springs.

“I’ve had experience with long distance relationships. They’re tough to manage, but—”

“Long distance! I’ll have to move out of the loft, but with four kids I’ll darn sure want to stay within walking distance of the school.”

“You won’t return to Texas? You’ll uproot them again?”

“I’m staying in Eternity Springs. I don’t really have a choice. For one thing, I don’t have a studio in Texas any longer, but more important than that, you are there. I’m not willing to give you up.”

Wow. Okay
.

Rose absorbed what he’d just said. He wasn’t going to give her up.

It might not be the
L
word, but it’s more than I expected
.

“Now, if the prospect of the added baggage on my end scares you off, that’s understandable,” he continued. “But I’ll warn you, I won’t stop trying to convince you to reconsider.”

His reassurance warmed her like the Caribbean sun. Attempting to lighten the moment, she teased, “Looking for an extra pair of babysitter hands?”

“An extra pair or twelve. You have lots of friends in town, and I’m no fool.” His fleeting grin was a cross between boyish and sheepish, but then he grew serious.

“All kidding aside,
Bellissima
, I want to promise here and now that while I’ll be eternally grateful for help, I won’t abuse it. I’ve been on that side of the situation. I know what it’s like to feel as though your good will and good intentions are being taken advantage of. I won’t do that to you. At least, not intentionally. If I do, you call me on it.”

He rubbed the back of his neck as his thoughts went a different direction.

“I wonder what sort of legal hoops we will need to jump through. I should probably call a lawyer. Wonder if I need a Texas attorney or one in Colorado.”

“You’ve met Mac Timberlake, haven’t you? Ali’s husband?”

“Isn’t he a judge?”

“He retired from the federal bench. He has a legal practice in Eternity Springs, and I’m sure he could point you in the right direction.”

Cicero grimaced. “The prospect of legal bills is almost as much fun as doctor bills. What do you think—wait—that’s Misty.”

The nine-year-old walked into the park holding an apple in her right hand and a dog leash in her left. At the other end of the leash, a dachshund sniffed his way through the grass.

“Oh, no,” Cicero muttered. “No. No. No. I might take four kids home with me, but I draw the line at dogs.”

“What do you have against dogs?”

“Nothing. I like dogs.” He narrowed his eyes and added, “I think she’s crying.”

Rose gave the girl a closer look, and when she spied the back of the hand carrying the red apple take a swipe at Misty’s cheek, she knew that Cicero was right.

“I wonder what that’s about.”

“If Amy popped off and said something to her about kicking the kids out, I swear I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Cicero tucked the basketball beneath an arm and started toward the girl.

“Hey, kid!”

Misty halted abruptly and looked up at Cicero, her
eyes going round. “Uncle Hunk. What are you doing here?”

He ignored her question. “Are you okay? Why are you crying?”

“I’m okay.” Her little chin came up. “I’m not crying, Uncle Hunk.”

“You are too crying, and you have to quit calling me that,” he groused. “What’s wrong? Did Amy say something to you?”

The young girl frowned. “About what?”

“Well—about me. Didn’t Amy tell you I was here?”

“No.” Misty darted a curious look toward Rose. “I haven’t been home yet. I walk Rooster every day after the bus drops me off. I earn ten dollars a week.”

“What rooster?”

“Rooster!” Misty pointed toward the dachshund. “He’s our next-door neighbor’s dog.”

“A dog named Rooster? What the—never mind.” Cicero placed his hand on Rose’s shoulder. “Do you remember Dr. Anderson from Eternity Springs?”

“Yes, of course. She put Galen’s arm in a cast. Hello, Dr. Anderson.”