Love one Another

Zac rolled his eyes and turned away, laughing to himself. The woman was naturally humorous, whether she knew it or not. No wonder Justin had taken to her so quickly and blossomed in her class. Tina Braddock was more than a good teacher. She was a very special person, too.

Chapter Three

Concerned about safety, Tina strolled toward the van while she waited for Zac to return. She understood why he’d chosen to leave the motor running. Justin needed the cool air. The weather was typical of summer in the Ozarks: steamy and hot, good for flowers and veggies but not as pleasant as it would be in a month or so when fall arrived.

She shaded her eyes and peeked in the van window. Justin was asleep on the bench seat in the center, close enough to the driver to be watched, yet protected from the front air bag. It didn’t surprise her that Zac had chosen the best location for his son. The man didn’t miss a trick where safety was concerned.

The boy stirred. Holding very still, Tina willed him back to a deeper sleep. For a few minutes she thought she’d gotten her wish. Then the boy’s eyes fluttered open, and he realized almost immediately that he’d been left alone.

“Daddy!” Panicky, Justin began to struggle to undo his seat belt.

Tina rapped on the window and called to him. If he got loose, there was no telling what he might do. She made a grab for the door handle and gave it a wrench. It didn’t open!

“I’m here, Justin,” she shouted. “I’m right here. It’s okay. You’re fine. Daddy will be right back.”

The child began to sob. Tina pounded on the window with the flat of her hand, then ran around to try the doors on the opposite side. They were all locked. She knew she didn’t dare leave the van long enough to fetch Zac. If Justin managed to undo his seat belt while she was gone, he might inadvertently slip the van into gear and cause an accident. If only his idiotic, overprotective father hadn’t locked the blasted doors!

Close to panic herself, Tina shouted at the house. “Zac! Zac!” She needn’t have worried that he might not hear her. In seconds he was charging across the lawn.

“What happened?”

“He woke up and…”

Zac reached for the door. “Why did you let him get so upset? I warned you…” He jerked the handle. Nothing happened! He whirled. “Why did you lock the door?”

“I didn’t lock it. You did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, somebody did,” Tina countered. “Maybe you pushed the wrong button when you got out.”

“No way.” Zac’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. He’s loose.” Fighting to appear calm, he called, “Hey, buddy. Here I am. Come open the door for Daddy.”

The child was too overwrought to respond. He threw one foot up on the back of the front seat and was struggling to scramble over.

“We have to do something. We can’t let him get to the driver’s seat,” Tina shouted.

“I know.” Zac ran around to the other side of the van and dropped to his knees by the driver’s door. He’d stashed an extra key under there for emergencies. What he hadn’t counted on was the mud he found caked in hard ridges where the metal key holder should have been.

Scraping frantically with his fingernails, he called to Tina, “Get me something to break this off with!”

In the bedlam, Tina heard only part of his request. She quickly hefted a rock the size of a cantaloupe and whacked the front passenger window. Safety glass fragmented into a million tiny, harmless pieces the size of peas.

Zac came up off his knees with the box in his hand and a wild look on his face. “What the—?”

“You said to break it, so I did,” she explained.

“Break the mud off my spare key—” he waved the muddy box “—not break the window!”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“I did.” He swiftly unlocked the door on his side of the van and held out his arms. Justin was just landing in the front seat. Relieved, Zac grasped his small hand and helped him step down. “It’s okay, son. I’ve got you.”

The frightened boy wrapped his arms around his father’s leg and held on as if it were a lifeline. His breath came in halting, shuddering sobs.

Waiting, Tina stood back and watched father and son try to regain their composure. Zac rested his hand on the boy’s hair. When he tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a few seconds, Tina imagined him sending up a silent prayer of thanks. She’d already done the same. Breaking the window might be considered foolhardy by some people—but how was she to know Zac had a spare key? Given her assessment of the situation, she’d done the right thing. Anyway, Justin was safe. That was all that really mattered.

Acting on impulse, she approached the child, dropped to one knee beside him and began to gently stroke his back, while he continued to cling to Zac. “You’re fine now, honey. Your daddy’s right here. You know he’d never leave you.”

To her surprise, Justin released his usual hold on his father’s leg, threw himself at her, wrapped his little arms tightly around her neck and began to weep anew. Tina got down on both knees to hug him close.

“Oh, baby. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

Tears of empathy filled her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks. This emotionally needy child had touched her as no other had. She kissed his hair, his wet cheeks, then cupped his face in her hands so he’d have to look at her when she reassured him.

“We love you, Justin. We’d never let anything bad happen to you.”

As soon as she’d spoken she realized she’d made an inappropriate inference by combining her own compassion with that of Zac Frazier. Well, too bad. Knowing there was more than one person in the world who cared about him was critical to Justin’s peace of mind. If his father didn’t like it, tough.

She dried the child’s tears with the hem of her skirt and made sure he’d stopped crying, before she gathered her courage and stood to confront Zac. “We need to discuss a few things, Mr. Frazier. In private.”

To her surprise, he still seemed aggravated.

“Insurance will probably pay for the damage,” Zac grumbled, scowling at his van. “What a mess. I wish you’d asked me instead of getting so carried away.”

“You’re worried about the mess from a broken window?” Exasperation filled Tina’s voice. “Fine. I’ll help you clean it up. But I don’t give a hoot about your stupid window, okay? It’s your son I’m worried about.”

“You weren’t so worried when you dropped broken glass all over him.”

“All the new cars have safety glass. It’s not sharp when it breaks. I knew it wouldn’t hurt him.”

“How about scare him to death,” Zac countered. “He was already having a fit over waking up alone.”

She wanted to scream, So hug him. Show him some real affection, but she held her tongue. Yelling at the man wasn’t going change him, especially since he didn’t seem to have a clue he was doing anything wrong. If he agreed to rent the property she’d shown him, however, she’d have lots of opportunities to observe his interaction with his son and offer a few subtle pointers on parenting. Unfortunately, with the Fraziers so close by, she wouldn’t be able to escape from that duty, either. Even if she wanted to.

“So, are you going to take this house?” Tina asked, deliberately changing the subject. “You should commit yourself as soon as possible, you know. It won’t stay empty for long.” In her heart, she half hoped he’d say no, and relieve her of the God-given responsibility she was feeling.

“I suppose I will,” Zac said flatly. “I haven’t found any other place close to my job, and the rent is reasonable.”

Well, that was that, Tina thought. She was stuck. “Okay. I’ll let the landlord know. He can drop the rental agreement by your office, if you like.”

“That’ll be fine.”

Tina held out her hand as if to shake on the deal, then quickly withdrew it when she recalled the way she’d reacted when they’d touched before. “Good night, then. I’ve done my good deed for the day, so I guess I’ll be going. Do you think you can find your way back to your motel by yourself?”

“Probably. Can I borrow a whisk broom and dustpan before I go? I need to sweep up the broken glass.”

“And I said I’d help you, didn’t I? I really am sorry. I was sure you said you wanted me to break the window.” She flashed a wry smile.