Winning the Teacher's Heart. Jean C. Gordon

the expense of less child support. Time the kids most likely would end up spending with their grandparents, not their father. Thankfully, she’d put on her athletic shoes this morning rather than a pair of sandals.

      She took off with Jared easily keeping up with her. They reached Becca’s backyard before the Nortons pulled into her driveway. She bent over to catch her breath. When she straightened, Jared was pressing buttons on his cell phone.

      “Forty-five seconds flat,” he said.

      Despite her agitation, she laughed. “You did not time me.”

      “No, but you worked up some speed there. I don’t remember you running track.”

      She shook the tingle from her hands. Jared remembered what sports she’d played in high school. “I didn’t take up running until I had Brendon and Ari.” And ex-in-laws who seem to keep tabs on my every move when the kids are involved.

      “I’m sure the two of them keep you hopping, and I don’t just mean physically.”

      “You’re right there. Keeping ahead of them mentally is as much of a race as chasing them around when they were toddlers.”

      The Nortons’ car pulled into the driveway as she and Jared rounded the corner of the house. The Sheriff—she always thought of her ex-father-in-law that way, rather than by his first name—threw open his door and got out. His wife, Debbie, took her time, turning to say something to Brendon and Ari in the backseat before stepping out and opening their door.

      “Mommy!” Ari propelled herself out of the car. “We saw The Lego Movie last night and had popcorn and soda and everything.”

      “I thought we might see you there,” Debbie said with obvious disapproval. “Emily Stacey and her brother, Neal, brought their families.”

      She would not let her ex-mother-in-law make her feel guilty for having an evening to herself. “I didn’t want to intrude on your time with the kids,” Becca said, very aware of Jared standing behind her.

      “Jared, Mom didn’t say you were going to come over today.” The boy looked around. “Did you ride your bike? Remember, you said you’d take me for a ride if it was okay with Mom.”

      Becca closed her eyes. Not the thing to say. The spillover from the annual Americade motorcycle rally in Lake George had not endeared bikers to the Sheriff. That he’d bought Brendon the motocross magazine only attested to her son’s power of persuasion.

      “Grandpa.” Brendon grabbed the older man’s hand and pulled him toward her and Jared. “This is Jared, the guy in my magazine. I told you he was at Mrs. Stowe’s.”

      Ken Norton glared at Jared. “Donnelly, I heard you were back.”

      Tension radiated from Jared.

      “Sheriff.”

      “Interesting to run into you here at my daughter-in-law’s this morning.” Ken looked from Jared to her and back. “Where’s your vehicle? Hidden out back so the neighbors can’t see it?”

      Becca gasped. She couldn’t believe Ken would think such a thing, let alone say it. She sensed, rather than saw, Jared move to her defense and shook her head.

      Dear Lord, she prayed silently. Please help me. I don’t have the fortitude for this.

      * * *

      It took every ounce of strength Jared had not to punch the smirk off Sheriff Norton’s face. The jerk. Jared didn’t know what had gone on between Becca and Matt Norton beyond hearing that Matt had left Becca for another woman. Nor did he know what kind of woman Becca was now, except that his grandmother thought highly of her. None of it was his business. But he wasn’t going to stand here and let the man insult Becca like that in front of her children, even if they were too young to get their grandfather’s implied meaning.

      Jared fisted and unfisted his hands—twice. “My motorcycle is up the road in the pull-in.” He ground out each word. “I drove over this morning to walk my new property.”

      “You didn’t come to read me another story?” Ari asked. “You said yesterday that you would sometime.”

      “No, sweetie,” Becca said. “Mr. Donnelly didn’t come to read to you today.”

      Jared admired how calm and collected Becca was. He smiled down at the little girl. “But I will another time. I promise.”

      The Nortons exchanged a glance.

      Let them think what they liked. Jared stepped forward and positioned himself to one side of Becca, between her and the Nortons. As long as their evil thoughts didn’t go beyond the two of them.

      “Brendon, take Ari in, and you two put away your overnight things. Yesterday’s clothes can go in the clothes hamper. I’ll be in in a minute.”

      “Jared, too?” Brendon looked at him expectantly.

      “No, Mr. Donnelly won’t be coming in.”

      Becca’s tone brooked no argument from Brendon or him. But Becca wasn’t the person he itched to argue with.

      “When you finish, you can each have one of the brownies I made this morning. They’re on the counter.” She softened her tone.

      “That may not be a good idea,” their grandmother said. “I made them chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast. You don’t want them to have too much sugar.”

      To Jared, it sounded as though that ship had already sailed.

      The kids looked from their grandmother to their mother.

      “It’s okay,” Becca said. “You can have a brownie. But only one each.”

      Debbie Norton pasted a smile over the frown that creased her face and held out her arms. “Give Grandma a kiss goodbye.”

      The kids took their time walking over to her. They each pecked her cheek.

      “Come on, Ari,” Brendon said. “Let’s go get our brownie.”

      “Clothes first,” Becca reminded them.

      “Yeah, clothes first. Bye, Jared.”

      “Bye,” his sister echoed.

      “See you guys.”

      Brendon stopped. “Tomorrow? Maybe you could give me a bike ride?”

      “And read me another story,” Ari said. “You could come to Sunday school tomorrow and read the story. I’m sure Mrs. Stacey wouldn’t mind.”

      Jared pictured himself surrounded by a class of five-year-olds with only his former classmate Emily “Jinx” Hazard Stacey as his backup defense and suppressed a shudder.

      “Inside,” Becca said, rescuing him from the thought.

      “Okay! Come on Ari,” Brendon said. The two trooped off to the house.

      Once they were out of hearing range, Jared faced Sheriff Norton and waited for Becca to say something about his insinuations. She didn’t. Jared looked from the Sheriff to her, and she dropped her gaze.

      “So, Donnelly,” the Sheriff said before Jared could mentally fit together even one piece of the puzzle that was Becca. “I take it Bert carried through with his foolish idea of penance.”

      “I don’t know what you mean.”

      Becca put an extra step between them, the icy edge of his reply seeming to have caught her more than his intended target.

      The Sheriff transferred his glare from Jared to her. “Shouldn’t you be in the house with the kids?”

      “No, I’m sure they’re fine.”

      Jared raised his head to the sky. Now Becca decided to stand her ground, over his business, rather than standing up for herself.