Ready, Set, I Do!. Cindy Kirk

Winn had talked so much that he was sick of the sound of his own voice, Cam had barely uttered five words. All single responses in a barely audible tone.

      What had Vanessa done to him? What had that jerk Brandon done to him? Winn tried to contain his rising anger at whatever had brought this change in the boy. While he realized some of what Cam was showing was grief, there was more going on here. He would get to the bottom of it, eventually.

      Relief flooded him at the knock on the door.

      “That’ll be my neighbor.” He opened the door and realized she hadn’t come alone. The border collie stood beside her, brown eyes staring at him, as if daring Winn to keep him out.

      “Bandit wanted to meet Cam.” Hailey handed Winn the soup container and breezed past him into the large living room. She wore jeans and a Western-cut shirt in shocking blue. “I hope you don’t mind.”

      The words of protest that had formed on Winn’s lips died at the look of surprised pleasure in Cameron’s eyes. “Ah, not at all.”

      “Hi, Cameron.” Hailey crossed the room to sit beside the boy on the sofa. She extended her hand. “I’m Hailey Randall. I live next door. Welcome to Jackson Hole.”

      For a long moment the hand hovered there. Until the boy took it.

      “Can you tell Miss Hailey you’re pleased to meet her?” Winn gently urged.

      “P-p-p-pleased to m-m-meet you,” Cam stuttered.

      Hailey’s smile never wavered. “I brought you homemade chicken noodle soup. I realize it’s late for dinner, but I wasn’t in the mood to eat earlier. I’m sure hungry now.”

      Cam glanced down at his bright neon-green-and-purple sneakers.

      “If your dad has a large bowl,” Hailey continued without missing a beat, “we could heat the soup in the microwave. I’d love for you to try it and tell me if it’s any good.”

      The boy didn’t comment but gestured with his head toward Bandit, who sat at Hailey’s feet. “Who—who is she?”

      If Hailey noticed the boy’s stuttering—and it would have been impossible not to—it didn’t show.

      “Bandit. He’s a boy,” Hailey confided with an easy smile. “Which means I’m outnumbered three to one.”

      To illustrate her point, she gestured with one hand toward Winn, then Cam and finally on Bandit.

      The boy’s quick flash of a smile loosened the tightness that had held Winn’s chest in a stranglehold since he’d received the call from the attorney.

      “Perhaps after we eat,” Hailey moved to the cupboards, “we can take Bandit for a short walk. Unless you’re too tired.”

      Cam gestured toward the dog. “C-can we g-go now?”

      “I’d really like to eat first,” Hailey said, her hands busy. “But you can hold Bandit’s leash when we do go, if you’d like.”

      The boy gave a jerky nod of agreement.

      Winn moved to the cupboards and took out bowls and glasses. Hailey put the soup in the microwave while Winn sliced the bread and Cam placed silverware on the table.

      At the table, Cameron said nothing. He shoveled in food and kept his eyes on Bandit. Winn wasn’t sure if the boy ate because he was hungry or because he wanted to take the dog for a walk.

      Once they finished and cleared the dishes, Hailey clipped a leash on Bandit’s collar then handed it to Cam. “How about you walk him around inside first? That way you can get a feel for it.”

      Cam’s eyes were wide and serious.

      Hailey smiled. “Perhaps you could start by showing him your room.”

      The boy nodded and the two disappeared down the hallway.

      “Thank you.” Winn kept his voice low.

      Hailey cocked her head. “A few minutes in the microwave is no big deal.”

      “Thank you for the soup and bread.” He gestured toward the hall. “And for being nice to him.”

      “Normally, I like to be mean to children and small animals, but I thought I’d make an exception tonight.”

      Winn couldn’t help chuckling. But he quickly sobered. “He’s not the same boy I left behind in Atlanta two years ago.”

      “Surely that’s not the last time you saw him.”

      A muscle in Winn’s jaw jumped. “Actually it is. He never stuttered before. Do you think—”

      He cut off when he heard the sound of the boy and dog coming down the hall. “I’d like to speak to you about something,” he told Hailey. “After Cam’s asleep.”

      Hailey wasn’t sure what Winn wanted to discuss. But she had the feeling his struggles to get his project approved were going to seem like a walk in the park compared to the challenges of being a full-time father of a grieving boy.

      * * *

      Two hours later, Hailey relaxed against Winn’s leather sofa, a glass of wine in one hand and the dog snoozing at her feet. The short walk had taken nearly an hour, with the three walking mostly in silence.

      Winn had tried to draw the boy out but had quit attempting to make conversation when his efforts only seemed to agitate Cam.

      They’d made it all the way to a downtown park that was lit up brighter than Times Square because of the ball game in progress. Cam hadn’t wanted to watch the game or play on any of the equipment. But when Bandit picked up a stick and dropped it at Cam’s feet, the boy had smiled and thrown it. Not once but several times.

      Hailey had watched Cam smile each time the dog raced back to him, and her heart had filled with emotion.

      “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Hailey.” Winn’s expression was grave. “I have to work, but I can’t just dump him somewhere with people I don’t know or trust.”

      “What about your father?”

      “Not an option.”

      His tone was so firm, Hailey let that possibility drop.

      “You could take some time off,” she suggested.

      “This isn’t a good time for me to do that.” Winn dismissed the suggestion. “Besides, Cam will need to make friends.”

      “There are summer camps. Enrichment programs.” Hailey chewed on her lip. “But the child just lost his mother. And this is a new place. I can’t imagine tossing him into a group setting right away.”

      Winn twirled the stem of his wineglass between his fingers. “You mentioned the other day you were in the market for a job.”

      Hailey almost got whiplash from the change in topic. “You know someone who’s looking for a speech therapist?”

      “Me. You could also watch Cam for me. Just until he gets his footing and feels comfortable here.”

      “I help my dad with the ranch books,” she told him. “I sometimes get called to the hospital if one of their regular speech therapists is ill. And I recently agreed to help Cassidy with weddings and special events. Workwise, I’m heating up.”

      “You could take him with you to your dad’s. Cam would probably see it as a kind of adventure. I don’t think he’s ever spent time on a ranch.” Winn’s voice turned persuasive. “If you got called in to work at the hospital, I’d take that day off. Caring for him wouldn’t be a long-term thing, only until Cam gets comfortable and I can make other arrangements.”

      “I appreciate your confidence, Winn. But—” She shook her head. It sounded like babysitting to Hailey and she’d had her fill of that when she’d been in high school.

      “I’d