Winning the Teacher's Heart

“Aw, Jared could teach me how to ride. The story in the magazine said that he’s going to start a school to teach kids like me how to race motocross, with a real motocross racetrack and everything.”

“I don’t think he’s building his racetrack here.” Jared Donnelly hadn’t been back to Paradox Lake for more than an occasional short visit since he’d left fifteen years ago. Even if he were in town for an extended visit, she doubted he’d build his motocross school here in the North Country where he could only operate it part of the year.

The disappointment on Brendon’s face made her chest tighten. He was just a little boy, even though he often seemed older because of his self-appointed role as the man of the family since her ex had left them.

She draped her arm over his shoulder, expecting him to duck out of her loose embrace, and her heart warmed when he didn’t. “You and Ari need to get ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s. They’ll be here soon to pick you guys up for the pizza movie night at church. Is Ian going?”

“Yeah.” Brendon shrugged away. “His parents would probably let him get a dirt bike.”

Back to that. Becca was pretty certain her son’s best friend’s parents would no more buy Ian a dirt bike than she’d let Brendon have one. “Go on and get your sleepover stuff ready. I’ll be right in with Ari.”

Brendon stomped off.

“Ari, we need to pack your things for Grandma’s.”

“Okay, Mom.” She jumped off the swing and skipped up the stairs to the deck.

A few minutes later, Becca watched her former in-laws and her kids drive away. Fortunately, they’d been running late, so she hadn’t had to talk with them much beyond finding out when they’d be bringing the kids back tomorrow. She walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of ice tea and took a carton of yogurt from the refrigerator before going back out onto the deck. Brendon had left his magazine on the umbrella table. She sat on the matching chair and leafed through the magazine to a page with a picture of Jared standing beside a racing bike with his helmet tucked under his arm. His hair was tousled as if he’d just taken off the helmet, and he oozed masculine bravado. In the accompanying article, Jared talked about starting a motocross school for kids, particularly underprivileged and fatherless kids.

She closed the publication and placed it on the table. Brendon wasn’t underprivileged, but she often felt he was growing up fatherless. She’d taken her wedding vows seriously. Tried and prayed so hard to keep her marriage together, and, despite knowing better, couldn’t shake the final remnants of failure that she hadn’t been able to. As if to block out the pain, her mind went to Ari and Brendon sitting on either side of Jared on his grandmother’s couch looking at Ari’s storybook. A perfect family picture. Something beyond her reach. Obviously, she wasn’t cut out for marriage if she couldn’t make a go of it with someone she’d grown up with and had known as well as Matt. Or thought she’d known.

The picture of Jared with her kids popped back into her head. She had no idea why her mind was flitting from him to marriage and back to him. Regardless of what he’d said at his grandmother’s about getting used to Adirondack winters again, she couldn’t imagine he was back to stay. What attraction, besides his family, could Paradox Lake hold for someone who’d traveled all around the world?

Becca pushed Jared and her failed marriage out of her head. Looking past her yard beyond her property to the meadow and woods that Bert Miller had owned, she wondered what would become of the acreage. Her ex-mother-in-law had been sure Bert would leave it to her, his only relative. But that didn’t seem to be the case. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her entwined fingers. Last year, she and the two other families on Conifer Road had heard Bert was considering selling it to a resort syndicate that was vying for one of the gambling casino licenses New York State had up for grabs at the time. They’d banded together in an informal homeowners association, ready to oppose that project or any other undesirable one that might endanger the quality of life they wanted for their families.

She hoped it wouldn’t come to anything like that. Recently, hanging on to her property had become enough of a fight for her. She didn’t need another one. Raising two kids and paying the mortgage on the dream house she and her ex-husband had built was tough on a teacher’s salary, especially a teacher’s salary at a small school such as Schroon Lake. She nudged a stone under the table with her toe. Getting the job she’d applied for running The Kids’ Place at church for the summer would really help. Disappointment welled inside her. She’d thought she would have heard back by now. The only other jobs available were in the tourist trade and wouldn’t pay enough for her to make any money once she’d paid for day care. Unless she asked her ex-mother-in-law to watch them, which she wasn’t about to do. Ari and Brendon could come with her to The Kids’ Place. She kicked the stone and watched it arch up and hit the deck rail before landing on the grass several feet away.

She rose to go inside. Why did she always have to second-guess herself and overthink everything? Why couldn’t she simply accept God’s plan for her? Her mind flashed back once more to Jared reading to her kids and she halted midstep. That couldn’t possibly be what He had in mind for her.

Chapter Two (#ulink_6a75cf22-a83f-5056-bb46-f740c973df38)

The summer breeze ruffled Becca’s hair. She pushed a stray strand behind her ear and adjusted her seat on a boulder left courtesy of the advance or retreat of a prehistoric glacier. Science had never been her subject. A motion to her left caught her attention. Someone, a man, was walking toward her. She tensed. There was no place for her to go. This wasn’t even her property. She looked at her house in the distance on the other side of the meadow.

“Becca?” The figure called.

She shielded her eyes from the late-morning sun. Jared. His smooth, cocky gait was a dead giveaway if she hadn’t recognized his voice. “Hi,” she called back with a wave.

“What brings you out here?” he asked when he reached her.

“I could ask you the same.” She smiled. “I often walk the meadow. That’s my house over there.” She pointed to the colonial on a rise framed by tall pines.

“And you’re sitting on my rock.” He grinned back.

“Your rock?”

“Yep, Bert Miller left me this property. So, we’re neighbors.”

“Oh.” She dropped her gaze. That sounded brilliant.

He looked around behind her. “No kids?”

“They stayed overnight with their grandparents, Matt’s parents, last night. Under our custody agreement, Matt’s supposed to have them every other weekend. But he’s in Connecticut and works a lot of weekends. Ken and Debbie often take his time.” Too often. She clamped her hand over her mouth. Why was she running on about the Nortons again, making excuses for the kids’ father? Matt had made enough excuses before and after he’d left them. She didn’t need to make more for him.

Jared’s mouth tightened, then relaxed. “Nice day. I’d almost forgotten what mountain summers are like.”

“So, how long are you staying? Your grandmother’s really been looking forward to your visit.” She pushed away from the boulder and stood.

“Indefinitely. I guess Gram didn’t tell you I’m moving here.”

“Here?” She motioned toward the meadow. Jared Donnelly was going to be her neighbor? Brendon would be thrilled. Her heart tripped as if to deny her first thought that having Jared so close wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Not right here. I have other plans for this property. For now, I’m staying with Connor.”

The guarded look in his eyes stopped her from asking about his plans. She checked her watch. “I’d better get back to the house. The Nortons will be bringing the kids home soon.” And if I’m not there, it’ll be one more strike against me in their virtual book of reasons I’m not a good mother.

“I’ll walk back with you. I’ve seen all I need to see, and I’m going that direction anyway. I parked my bike in the gravel pull-in up the road from your house.”

“That would be a pretty spot to build a house.” What was with her? One minute she was concerned about Jared owning the property adjacent to hers. The next she sounded as if she was encouraging him to build a house there.

“True.” He fell into step with her.

After a few yards of uncomfortable silence, she asked. “Have you really retired from motocross? That’s what Brendon’s magazine said.”

“You read the feature about me.”

“Some of it,” she admitted. He grinned and her stomach fluttered. She should have had more for breakfast than toast and coffee.

“Yep, at thirty-three I’m the old man of the circuit, and I thought it was best to go out while I’m still at the top. If you asked some of my rivals, they’d say about time. Mom and Gram say past time.”

Becca nodded. “I know how worried your grandmother was about you when you had that accident last year.”

He shrugged. “Part of the business. It wasn’t that bad. I’d had worse. But I’m ready to move on and give some of the younger guys a shot at the winner’s circle.”

From someone else, Jared’s words would have sounded boastful. And she knew about boastful from being married to Matt Norton. But from Jared they sounded matter-of-fact.

“It’s going to be quite a change for you, going from the life of a national motocross champion to living back here in Paradox Lake.”

“Not so much as you might think. The circuit isn’t all glitter and parties like the magazines make it look. I will miss the rush of crossing the finish line. But I have something in mind to do that could be even more satisfying. I’d like to—”

“Oh, no!” Becca interrupted him as they crested the rise.

He stopped.

“Sorry,” she said. “That’s the Nortons’ car.” Her heart pounded as she pointed toward the highway. “I’ve got to be at the house before they are.”

She had enough stress in her life with her car on its last legs and no summer job in sight. She didn’t need the Nortons complaining about her not being there for the kids to anyone who would listen and talking Matt into taking her to Family Court again for more visitation time—at the expense of less child support. Time the kids most likely would end up spending with their grandparents, not their father. Thankfully, she’d put on her athletic shoes this morning rather than a pair of sandals.

She took off with Jared easily keeping up with her. They reached Becca’s backyard before the Nortons pulled into her driveway. She bent over to catch her breath. When she straightened, Jared was pressing buttons on his cell phone.