Read Online A Fair of the Heart, Welcome To Redemption, Book1 by Donna Marie Rogers - Free Book Online

his coffee. “They haven’t
been in for a while, and your mom...it was sudden. No warning.”
    Caleb dropped his eyes to his plate. “I
know.” He blew out a hard breath. “I’d been planning to come up
soon. Wish I’d let her know, maybe—”
    “Son, don’t even say it. You’re not psychic.
Your mother knew you loved her, and that’s what matters.”
    Caleb met the older man’s gaze. “Thanks,
Hutch.”
    He waved it off. “Hurry up and finish your
food. I have a couple of steps I need you to replace for me.”
    “Yes, sir.” Caleb took another bite of his
cheeseburger, his heart lighter than it’d been in years.

Chapter Seven
     
    “So, are you taking the kids to the
fair?”
    Lauren gave Mrs. Langhart’s silver bob one
last squirt of hairspray, and then handed her a mirror. “I have
plans tonight, so maybe tomorrow. I might let Max go for a couple
hours later with his friends.”
    Mrs. Langhart held the mirror up and examined
Lauren’s work from every angle twice over. Lauren resisted the urge
to roll her eyes.
    “Make sure you pat him down before you let
him out the door.”
    “Pardon me?”
    The older woman glanced furtively around,
then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Max and those
hoodlum friends of his left a bunch of butts on the sidewalk in
front of my house.”
    Lauren froze. “Are you saying Max has been
smoking?”
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying. They’re like
little sailors out there, smoking and cussing. Larry had to shoo
them away just the other night.”
    No fricken way. It couldn’t be true. Max was
only ten years old, for God’s sake, a little boy. Then Lauren
remembered Caleb had found a cigarette butt in the backyard, and
her heart constricted. “Mrs. Langhart, I am so sorry. I had no idea
any of this was going on. I appreciate you bringing it to my
attention.”
    Mrs. Langhart gave Lauren’s hand a pat. “You
have your hands full with that one, my dear. Maybe the handsome
carpenter you’ve been dating can help keep that boy of yours in
line.”
    “Oh, we’re not dating. Caleb was kind enough
to make some minor repairs in exchange for a few home-cooked
meals.”
    “Uh-huh,” the older woman said with a knowing
smirk. “Well, your Caleb is quite a looker. And take it from me,
honey, he’s not coming around for your cooking, as delicious as it
no doubt is.”
    Lauren’s cheeks grew hot. She resisted the
urge to reach up and feel them.
    Mrs. Langhart climbed off the chair and
retrieved her wallet from her purse. “Here.” She stuffed some money
into Lauren’s hand and folded her fingers around it. “Take this and
buy yourself a new pair of high heels. Nothing like a sexy pair of
shoes to give a man ideas.” She winked at Lauren, grasped her
purse, and slipped out the front door.
    Lauren blew out a hard breath as she stuffed
the money in her pocket. Max smoking. Never in a million years
would she have guessed that. My God, she felt like the worst mother
in the world. How could she be so clueless about something so
important?
    She got up and filled her coffee cup, then
picked up the cordless and paced back and forth across the
linoleum, her mind a jumbled mess of questions and concerns. Max
was at Caleb’s place helping him stain boards for a fencing job,
and the two of them planned to head back around four for supper.
She stared at the phone, tempted to call Caleb and have him drag
Max’s little smoking ass home so Lauren could ground him till he
turned thirty.
    With a heavy-hearted sigh, she set the phone
down and resumed her pacing. Emma was lying on the couch watching
cartoons, a little sleepy from her pain medication. Lauren changed
the bandages and put ointment on her tender little fingers. Now
that she knew Max was most likely responsible, Lauren wanted to
scream, she wanted to cry—she wanted to hunt John Frazier down so
she could string him up by his balls from the nearest tree.
    The phone rang in her hand. Lauren jumped a
foot,