hallway
into the kitchen. Less than a minute later he came trotting back in the room with
Kayla’s keys dangling from his mouth. Buck stopped right next to where Ronnie sat.
“Give,” he said.
Buck dropped the keys by Ronnie’s feet and sat down on his haunches. Reaching down,
Ronnie scooped the keys up and then gave the dog a rub on his head. “Down.” Buck again
stretched out on the expensive-looking rug and watched as Ronnie stood up and headed
to where Kayla stood staring in disbelief.
Stopping in front of her, he held her keys out and said, “See it’s not
him
you should be worried about.”
She took her keys and gave Ronnie a sheepish smile before heading toward the door.
“Bye, Kayla,” he said.
She stopped in her tracks and looked back over her shoulder at him. Her gaze slowly
left his eyes and landed on his mouth.
He knew they were walking a dangerous line. She was a
mom,
with responsibilities. He typically didn’t go after moms, but he was ready to make
an exception for Kayla.
The brutal verbal punishment he would receive from his sisters for messing with a
single mother would be worth it! Besides, he
wasn’t
simply playing with Kayla, he really
liked
her—and Addie, too, for that matter. So maybe his sisters wouldn’t give him a speech
about not getting involved with a single mother unless he was serious. Maybe he
was
serious about Kayla. Maybe he
did
want more from her than just the fling his siblings were always warning him against.
Then she was out the door and gone and he was left with Buck…and a houseful of teenage
girls who would be wanting breakfast soon. Sighing, he headed into the kitchen with
Buck right beside him.
The past couple of weeks had been kind of nice. Addie reminded him of his younger
sisters when he’d lived at home. Teasing Addie was fun because she would squeal and
laugh all at the same time. It made him a little homesick, though, and he’d called
his oldest sister last weekend just to check in.
The kids at Addie’s high school were good stuff. He had started taking Buck with him
every day to pick her up, and the kids enjoyed the old dog almost as much as Buck
enjoyed them. Every time a kid saluted the dog Ronnie could barely keep from laughing.
By the second week he had begun to wonder if they were doing it out of respect. It
was almost like the kids hung around waiting for him and Buck each day. Even the principal
would at least nod his head in acknowledgment.
Addie must have mentioned to the rest of the girls that they were seriously out of
sync with each other, after his original assessment of them, because they had steadily
improved over the past couple of weeks despite their coach, almost as if they were
seeking his approval.
It was too bad they hadn’t mentioned being clueless about the very sport they were
cheering for
prior
to the game. At least the crowd had approved during the second half of last night’s
game. They were good kids and deserved the crowd’s positive vibes. They didn’t deserve
to be frowned upon or, even worse, ignored.
He cut up some potatoes to fry and then mixed up a batch of pancakes and found some
sausage patties, as well. Then, opening the door to the basement, he looked at Buck.
“Go rouse the troops,” he said.
The dog slowly headed down the steps to the basement and Ronnie left the door cracked
open while he went back to finish breakfast preparations. Soon enough, Buck entered
the kitchen followed by three girls. More of them could be heard giggling down the
hallway. The teens gathered around the table, a few of them pulling over barstools
as they all tried to squeeze in.
“That smells amazing,” one said.
After he set out everything they would need, he made himself a plate and leaned against
the counter to eat while they started in on the food. The girls were apparently trying
to pick a song for some dance or cheer competition that was coming up
into the kitchen. Less than a minute later he came trotting back in the room with
Kayla’s keys dangling from his mouth. Buck stopped right next to where Ronnie sat.
“Give,” he said.
Buck dropped the keys by Ronnie’s feet and sat down on his haunches. Reaching down,
Ronnie scooped the keys up and then gave the dog a rub on his head. “Down.” Buck again
stretched out on the expensive-looking rug and watched as Ronnie stood up and headed
to where Kayla stood staring in disbelief.
Stopping in front of her, he held her keys out and said, “See it’s not
him
you should be worried about.”
She took her keys and gave Ronnie a sheepish smile before heading toward the door.
“Bye, Kayla,” he said.
She stopped in her tracks and looked back over her shoulder at him. Her gaze slowly
left his eyes and landed on his mouth.
He knew they were walking a dangerous line. She was a
mom,
with responsibilities. He typically didn’t go after moms, but he was ready to make
an exception for Kayla.
The brutal verbal punishment he would receive from his sisters for messing with a
single mother would be worth it! Besides, he
wasn’t
simply playing with Kayla, he really
liked
her—and Addie, too, for that matter. So maybe his sisters wouldn’t give him a speech
about not getting involved with a single mother unless he was serious. Maybe he
was
serious about Kayla. Maybe he
did
want more from her than just the fling his siblings were always warning him against.
Then she was out the door and gone and he was left with Buck…and a houseful of teenage
girls who would be wanting breakfast soon. Sighing, he headed into the kitchen with
Buck right beside him.
The past couple of weeks had been kind of nice. Addie reminded him of his younger
sisters when he’d lived at home. Teasing Addie was fun because she would squeal and
laugh all at the same time. It made him a little homesick, though, and he’d called
his oldest sister last weekend just to check in.
The kids at Addie’s high school were good stuff. He had started taking Buck with him
every day to pick her up, and the kids enjoyed the old dog almost as much as Buck
enjoyed them. Every time a kid saluted the dog Ronnie could barely keep from laughing.
By the second week he had begun to wonder if they were doing it out of respect. It
was almost like the kids hung around waiting for him and Buck each day. Even the principal
would at least nod his head in acknowledgment.
Addie must have mentioned to the rest of the girls that they were seriously out of
sync with each other, after his original assessment of them, because they had steadily
improved over the past couple of weeks despite their coach, almost as if they were
seeking his approval.
It was too bad they hadn’t mentioned being clueless about the very sport they were
cheering for
prior
to the game. At least the crowd had approved during the second half of last night’s
game. They were good kids and deserved the crowd’s positive vibes. They didn’t deserve
to be frowned upon or, even worse, ignored.
He cut up some potatoes to fry and then mixed up a batch of pancakes and found some
sausage patties, as well. Then, opening the door to the basement, he looked at Buck.
“Go rouse the troops,” he said.
The dog slowly headed down the steps to the basement and Ronnie left the door cracked
open while he went back to finish breakfast preparations. Soon enough, Buck entered
the kitchen followed by three girls. More of them could be heard giggling down the
hallway. The teens gathered around the table, a few of them pulling over barstools
as they all tried to squeeze in.
“That smells amazing,” one said.
After he set out everything they would need, he made himself a plate and leaned against
the counter to eat while they started in on the food. The girls were apparently trying
to pick a song for some dance or cheer competition that was coming up
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