shoes beneath it. She’d never felt more miserable or more of a failure. “I knew it was coming, but now that it’s here, I don’t know whatto say to him. How do you tell a little boy his father doesn’t care about anyone but himself?”
She swiped a rumpled tissue under her red-tipped nose and pounded her fist against the chair. “Dammit, I feel so helpless!”
Like magic Alec’s arms were around her and her cheek was pressed to his chest, her tears soaking into his jewel-blue sweater. She leaned against him, her hands clutching at his back, because she couldn’t muster the strength to pull away. She felt utterly helpless and it terrified her, just as it had terrified a shy farm girl with no job skills when she had first realized she would have to go it alone with two small children to raise. How she hated that feeling. How she had fought to overcome the need to be dependent on someone. Yet here she was, leaning on Alec.
Deep inside it felt right to have him hold her, her knight in shining armor. It frightened her, too, but instead of trying to deal with all the conflicting emotions within her, Kelsie did her best to push them to a far corner of her mind. She had more important things to worry about at the moment.
“I’m sorry about the hockey game, Alec. You can still go—”
“Would you mind if I have a little talk with Jeff?”
“You?” Kelsie asked skeptically as she pulled back enough to look up at him.
Alex tried to smile. “I know he hasn’t exactly welcomed me with open arms, but I’d like to give it a shot.”
He almost chickened out when he reached the door of Jeffrey’s room. What did he know about kids? You used to be one, didn’t you, he asked himself. His own father had taken him to more ball games and hockey games than he could remember. All he had to do was imagine how he would have felt if his dad had backed out on one of those special outings and brushed him off without a second thought.
Jeffrey was facedown on the bed, hiccuping and sniffling. Alec took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then sat down beside the boy.
“Tough break about that basketball game,” he said, tugging methodically on his earlobe.
Jeffrey peered up at him with one bleary brown eye. “What’s it to you?”
Alec shrugged. “I was just thinking. When I was about your age, my dad promised he’d take me with him to Lake Mille Lac for the opening of the fishing season. I don’t think I talked about anything else for a month beforehand. I would have felt awful if he hadn’t kept that promise.”
Kelsie’s son pressed his head back down on his forearm. “My dad hates me.”
He sounded so forlorn, it nearly broke Alec’s heart. It was hard to remember he was the same little ruffian that had regarded him with such disdain. Now Jeffrey was a little boy who’d had his dreams shattered, who felt deserted and unwanted by the most important man in his life. Alec wondered if Jack Connors had any idea what he’d done.
“Maybe he just doesn’t know what’s important, Jeff.” It was difficult for Alex to imagine that the man even had a brain. The guy had let Kelsie and two beautiful children go. He wasprobably more deserving of pity than anything else.
He gave his head a shake and cleared his throat, glancing around the room at the posters of sports celebrities, several hockey players among them. Here goes my dream date, he thought to himself, not nearly as disappointed as he might have been.
“I know you’re a big hockey fan,” he said to Jeff. “I happened to get my hands on tickets to the Stars-Bruins game tonight. Your mom said she’d go with me, but I don’t think she really wants to. Besides, it’d be more fun with another guy along…. You interested?”
Jeffrey raised his head and turned to give Alec a long, suspicious look.
“I’d really like it if you went with me,” Alec said, surprised at how much he meant it.
“You mean it?” Jeff asked hesitantly.
Alex gave the boy his
She swiped a rumpled tissue under her red-tipped nose and pounded her fist against the chair. “Dammit, I feel so helpless!”
Like magic Alec’s arms were around her and her cheek was pressed to his chest, her tears soaking into his jewel-blue sweater. She leaned against him, her hands clutching at his back, because she couldn’t muster the strength to pull away. She felt utterly helpless and it terrified her, just as it had terrified a shy farm girl with no job skills when she had first realized she would have to go it alone with two small children to raise. How she hated that feeling. How she had fought to overcome the need to be dependent on someone. Yet here she was, leaning on Alec.
Deep inside it felt right to have him hold her, her knight in shining armor. It frightened her, too, but instead of trying to deal with all the conflicting emotions within her, Kelsie did her best to push them to a far corner of her mind. She had more important things to worry about at the moment.
“I’m sorry about the hockey game, Alec. You can still go—”
“Would you mind if I have a little talk with Jeff?”
“You?” Kelsie asked skeptically as she pulled back enough to look up at him.
Alex tried to smile. “I know he hasn’t exactly welcomed me with open arms, but I’d like to give it a shot.”
He almost chickened out when he reached the door of Jeffrey’s room. What did he know about kids? You used to be one, didn’t you, he asked himself. His own father had taken him to more ball games and hockey games than he could remember. All he had to do was imagine how he would have felt if his dad had backed out on one of those special outings and brushed him off without a second thought.
Jeffrey was facedown on the bed, hiccuping and sniffling. Alec took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then sat down beside the boy.
“Tough break about that basketball game,” he said, tugging methodically on his earlobe.
Jeffrey peered up at him with one bleary brown eye. “What’s it to you?”
Alec shrugged. “I was just thinking. When I was about your age, my dad promised he’d take me with him to Lake Mille Lac for the opening of the fishing season. I don’t think I talked about anything else for a month beforehand. I would have felt awful if he hadn’t kept that promise.”
Kelsie’s son pressed his head back down on his forearm. “My dad hates me.”
He sounded so forlorn, it nearly broke Alec’s heart. It was hard to remember he was the same little ruffian that had regarded him with such disdain. Now Jeffrey was a little boy who’d had his dreams shattered, who felt deserted and unwanted by the most important man in his life. Alec wondered if Jack Connors had any idea what he’d done.
“Maybe he just doesn’t know what’s important, Jeff.” It was difficult for Alex to imagine that the man even had a brain. The guy had let Kelsie and two beautiful children go. He wasprobably more deserving of pity than anything else.
He gave his head a shake and cleared his throat, glancing around the room at the posters of sports celebrities, several hockey players among them. Here goes my dream date, he thought to himself, not nearly as disappointed as he might have been.
“I know you’re a big hockey fan,” he said to Jeff. “I happened to get my hands on tickets to the Stars-Bruins game tonight. Your mom said she’d go with me, but I don’t think she really wants to. Besides, it’d be more fun with another guy along…. You interested?”
Jeffrey raised his head and turned to give Alec a long, suspicious look.
“I’d really like it if you went with me,” Alec said, surprised at how much he meant it.
“You mean it?” Jeff asked hesitantly.
Alex gave the boy his
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