Second Chance Dad

Crap. Leave it to Hanna to put her foot in her mouth. Had Mackenzie’s mother deserted them? Died? “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t even acknowledge her apology. “I can’t be with Kenzie every minute, so I teach her how to handle herself.” He came closer, bringing them nose to nose and continued to speak in a deep, controlled tone. “Kid gets invited to a party. All the other kids are swimming, but one kid’s parents didn’t teach him to swim because they were afraid he might drown. He wants to be part of the fun. Guess which kid is most at risk?”

“If the child didn’t know how to swim, a responsible parent wouldn’t let him go to a swimming party to begin with.”

“Yeah, that’s the way to raise a well-adjusted kid. That really helps him grow up and fit in, make friends.” His jaw set. “You have any further issue with Mackenzie, you take it up with me.” He sauntered out of Bluebonnet Books and onto the sidewalk, the bell on the door clanging in his wake.

She vibrated with anger as she locked the front door and made her way home.

HANNA FOUND ASHTON sitting cross-legged on the living-room sofa, his nose buried in his homework while her mom rattled around in the kitchen.

Giving Ashton’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, Hanna put her purse on the credenza and left him to finish his work. “Need any help, Mom?

Norma turned from the fridge. “You can wash your hands and peel the carrots.”

Hanna bit her tongue. Like she was six and needed to be told to wash her hands? “Thanks for stepping in and calming Ashton down.” Hanna dug the carrot peeler out of the drawer. “What do you know about Vince and Mackenzie Keegan?”

Norma ripped apart a head of lettuce. “Mackenzie is Belinda Maguire’s girl. Since Belinda was killed, her father just lets her run wild. Spoils her rotten. Even in church, which is the only time I’ve ever seen her in a dress, she still manages to look like a tomboy.”

“Belinda Maguire? I remember her from school.”

“They were living in Austin. Huge pileup on I-35. Both Belinda and their older child were killed, but if I remember right, Mackenzie wasn’t in the car. She was a toddler.”

Putting her hand over her mouth, Hanna tried to imagine what Vince had gone through. Such a tragic loss. And then to be faced with the awesome responsibility of raising a small daughter alone. She’d think after losing a wife and child Vince would be even more protective than Hanna.

After getting the carrots on to cook, she took a break and joined Ashton in the living room. “I’m sorry if I overreacted this afternoon, but you frightened me.”

He stuck the paper between the pages of the book and closed it. “You embarrassed me in front of my friend. It’s bad enough that all the other kids think I’m a sissy, but now Kenzie knows I am.”

“I’m afraid Mackenzie is going to get you hurt.” The loneliness in his eyes made her weep inside. “Ashton, I’ll try to do better if you’ll exercise more caution.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

HANNA HESITATED IN FRONT of the Keegans’ porch and looked down the street of manicured lawns and homey little houses that could have come straight out of an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. She allowed the fading pink-and-purple brushstrokes of the Marble Falls sunset to calm her nerves. Hanna the mother wanted to turn around and leave. What if this girl pulled another dangerous stunt and Ashton got caught in the crossfire? But whether she approved of Mackenzie Keegan or not, she was the only ally Ashton had in his new environment, and that was worth something. Hanna the still-insecure child knew firsthand what it felt like not to have a friend.

She clapped the brass knocker and waited. On the second rap, the porch light flashed on and the door swung open. But instead of a twelve-year-old girl, she faced a navy blue T-shirt stretched to the max attempting to cover a muscled six-pack. No denim jacket or loose flannel shirt for camouflage tonight.

Vince cocked his head. “Ms. Rosser.”

“Please call me Hanna.” She focused on his face. “I come in peace.”

“Then you might want to come in off the porch.” Standing back, Vince motioned for her to enter.

She stepped inside the room and whirled around as a massive reddish dog came up from behind and nuzzled her hand. She jerked her hand away and jumped sideways into a solid chest.

Vince’s arm encircled her waist and he grabbed the dog’s collar with the other hand. She fought to breathe as Vince leaned around and captured her gaze. “He’s harmless.”

The dog, maybe. Heart pounding, she stared into Vince’s intense blue eyes and something inside her flipped. Hormones surging into high gear, she eased away from him. She wasn’t sure whether to be more fearful of man or beast.

Vince retained his grasp on the dog’s collar. “Come on, Boo. Let the lady settle in before you slobber all over her.”

“I…uh.” Eyeing the dog, she stood in the center of the living room and prayed for her voice to return. She didn’t even trust dogs behind fences, and this one was too close and too big. “I came to apologize to Mackenzie for jumping on her today.”

Vince turned the dog loose. “Lie down, Boo.”

Obediently, the dog walked a couple of feet away and stretched out in front of the rustic stone fireplace. But his ears remained perked, and his black eyes focused on Hanna as if waiting for Vince to leave the room so he could pounce.

“Kenzie is at my in-laws’ house for dinner.”

“Oh.” She was alone with Vince Keegan. On his turf! This had been a bad idea to begin with. “I’m sorry for not calling first. I just thought…” Trying not to look at the dog in case he might interpret that as an invitation to come closer, and avoiding Vince’s gaze because, well, just because, Hanna scanned her surroundings. Framed family photos on the mantel, including a family shot of Vince with one hand resting on the shoulder of a small brown-haired boy as they posed beside a woman holding a lacy pink bundle of frills and blond curls.

Quickly looking away, Hanna focused on a soft beige leather sectional sofa. A large wooden coffee table with drawers and shelves under it, scattered with books, magazines and a crystal vase of silk daisies. A white king lay on its side in the center of a chessboard along with various other pieces and the rest off to the side. “You play chess?”

Vince narrowed his eyes. “Surprised?”

She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and clasped her hands together, not sure what to do with them. “Oh, no. I mean, my father played chess.”

“Would you like to sit down? We could discuss the kids and figure out how not to be at each other’s throats.”

Sit? Okay. Sitting was good. She eased down on the end cushion of the sofa and placed her purse on the wood floor.

“Coffee is made or I have iced tea.”

Boo stood and she held her breath. Vince could not leave her alone in this room with that animal. “No, nothing for me. I can’t stay but a minute. I left Ashton doing his homework and my mom cleaning the kitchen. I have to get back soon and make sure Ashton brushes his teeth and gets his bath. His bedtime is nine o’clock.” She clamped her mouth shut in an attempt to stop babbling.

Vince shoved the chessboard and vase of daisies aside and sat on the edge of the coffee table, only a foot from her face, his knee bumping hers. Breathe, Hanna, breathe. Deep dimples bracketed his full lips. “So my daughter isn’t the only one in the family who makes you jumpy?”

The room closed in on her. The man was hogging all the oxygen. “I don’t like dogs.”

His dimples deepened as he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned closer. “I wasn’t talking about Boo.”

Instinctively she started to lean back from his nearness, but caught herself and held her ground. She gulped at his muscled forearms and large hands. “Look, Mr. Keegan…”

“Vince.”

“I…we need to come to an understanding about Mackenzie and Ashton. I am glad he has a friend, but I insist on maintaining more control over what he does. I can’t risk him getting hurt.”

“He’s going into middle school next year. If your goal is to keep him safe and out of fistfights, I’m not sure overprotecting him is going to work in your favor.”

“I can see the wisdom in that. But I do not condone fighting.”

“Me neither, unless the other kid throws the first punch. In which case, Kenzie will defend herself.”

Hanna twisted her hands in her lap. “She should tell a teacher.”

“And then the kid would pick on her the next day and the next because he’ll take her as weak, looking for someone else to fight her battles.” Vince’s eyes narrowed. “Give Ashton a chance to fit in. To be like the other kids. He might come out with a black eye or busted lip, but that’ll heal and his self-esteem will be stronger for having not backed down.”

The intense raw masculine aura that surrounded Vince Keegan consumed her. She pictured Ashton earlier, sitting in the living room, so alone and desperate for a friend. He could benefit from some of this man’s confidence. But too much physical activity caused his asthma to flare up. Richard might lack the down-to-earth, take-care-of-himself attitude Vince had, but he made up for it in polished courtroom expertise. If he learned about yesterday’s fight, he’d have one more reason to yank Ashton out of school and re-enroll him in the private school in Dallas.