A Father's Pledge. Eleanor Jones

pink sweater was clinging to her body. She clasped her arms across her chest self-consciously, realizing with a sinking heart just how unprofessional she must look.

      “Are you okay, Ben?” she asked. “You didn’t swallow too much water, did you, being dragged through the sea like that?”

      “I told you,” he insisted. “I can swim and I didn’t swallow any water.”

      “Well, I’m glad to hear that, Ben, but there are going to be consequences for not listening,” Kat went on in what she hoped was a stern voice. “Right now, we’re all going to have to go back to school so that you and I can get changed.”

      “Seems like that’s a good idea anyway,” Luke interrupted. “Before one of the children drowns.”

      A red flush crept into Kat’s face as she turned to the children, who were giggling behind their hands. “Why don’t you all go and see who can find the nicest stone,” she suggested. “But don’t go too near the sea...or out of my sight.”

      “I’ll win,” cried Tammy, already running off. Angel followed close behind, and the other kids joined the search. Ben, however, hovered within hearing distance of Luke and Kat, pretending to look at the ground.

      “I had everything under control,” Kat told Luke. “Things could have gone much worse with three of us in the water. If you had to insist on monitoring my class, you could have stayed on shore and made sure the other kids didn’t run off.”

      “I have every right to monitor all the children’s classes,” Luke said drily. “And to be honest, it seems your classes need more than just monitoring. You shouldn’t be left in charge of children if you can’t watch them properly.”

      Kat fought to contain her anger. The last thing she wanted was for them to have a full-blown argument with the kids nearby. “What you are obviously trying to insinuate,” she eventually said in a low, steely tone, “is that you don’t think I’m capable of caring for your son. Who is clearly out of control. Do you think you could have stopped him from going into the water like that? I have a long track record of caring for kids and keeping them safe.”

      “All I know is what I saw here today,” he responded. “And I will be reporting the incident.”

      Kat bristled. “What did happen here today? As far as I’m concerned, Ben took advantage of the fact that I was helping Tammy after her fall and broke the rules by going for a swim. I reacted as quickly as possible to that, and I’d soon have had him back to shore if you hadn’t butted in.”

      “I was only messing around, you know,” Ben said, surprising them both. “What’s the big deal? I was just having fun.”

      Kat and Luke turned to him and the other children, who had returned from their rock hunt while the adults were arguing.

      “It’s true,” agreed Tammy. “He likes having fun. Don’t you, Ben?”

      “I like Ben’s fun,” added Angel with a gap-toothed grin.

      Luke held Kat’s gaze.

      “Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun,” Ben announced in a sulky voice. “You should try it sometime.”

      At that, Luke’s face hardened. “Well, it looked to me as if you were in a very dangerous situation,” he said, resting a hand on the boy’s arm. “Having fun is one thing, but you must learn to obey the rules or you could get hurt. Miss, here, needs to apply a little more discipline, I think.”

      “What?” Kat asked. “To myself, you mean, or to the children?”

      “To both, actually,” he said. “Now come on, Ben. I’ll make sure that you get back to school in one piece.”

      “We’ll all go back together,” Kat said, ushering the children toward the path.

      “I hate you,” Ben muttered under his breath, pulling away from Luke to catch up with the other kids.

      Kat’s heart went out to both of them. She knew Luke had only just met Ben, and it had been a difficult adjustment. For father and son. But Luke throwing his weight around like this was not going to help build their relationship.

      Water dripped from her clothes, and she shivered. “Look,” she said, falling into step beside Luke. “Why don’t we just take a step back on this. No one got hurt and all you’re doing now is upsetting poor Ben.”

      “Upsetting him?” Luke’s voice was cold. “You’re the one who’s upsetting him by not doing your job properly. Children need boundaries and discipline, and you don’t seem to know the meaning of either.”

      Kat’s cheeks burned. She was not going to be drawn further into this dispute. Most of the children here had already endured too much conflict in their young lives. They might come across as tough, but they were so vulnerable.

      “If you feel that strongly, maybe you should bring it up with Tim Ellison or Mike,” she said. Tim was the principal at Flight, and Mike was head of care. “They asked me to come here to run my sea-therapy course. I think you’ll find they’ll back me up.”

      Luke glared at her. Determined not to be intimidated, she stared ahead and kept walking. “Look,” she said, “I’m just trying to do the job I know I’m good at, Luke, and that is to try and help Ben. Perhaps you should talk to Mike, though. No one understands the kids and their situations like him. He can probably help you—”

      “What do you mean, help me?” Luke cut in. “With what?”

      “With Ben, I mean—he can help you with Ben.”

      A flicker of emotion momentarily clouded his features, and Kat thought Luke was about to lose his cool. For a second, his eyes held hers and she saw such pain in their depths that it suddenly occurred to her that maybe Luke Travis was scared...but scared of what? His steely demeanor returned and he looked away.

      “Don’t get too far ahead, children,” she called, increasing her pace.

      They all waited for her and Luke to catch up before heading onto the narrow pathway that ran up the cliff to Flight. To her surprise, Ben fell in beside her, his small hand shyly clasping hers. She closed her fingers around his, then glanced back at Luke. He was watching them intently, his mouth set into a grim line. She felt a jolt of sympathy for him. She couldn’t help thinking that perhaps beneath his tough exterior was a man who was more than a bit out of his depth.

      * * *

      WHEN THEY ARRIVED back at Flight, squelching in through the imposing front door of the large, converted country house, Hilda, the pleasant, round-faced care worker, was horrified by the state of them.

      “You go and get a shower, and I’ll see to the others,” she told Kat. Luke had stalked off somewhere the moment they’d stepped inside. “It’s nearly teatime, anyway. And Ben needs a shower, too, by the looks of him. What happened—did you fall in the sea or something?”

      Ben squirmed, shamefaced, and Kat smiled. “Something like that,” she said. When the little boy flashed her a grateful glance, warmth flooded her heart. Luke Travis might be his dad, but he was wrong about Ben. It was love the boy needed, not discipline. Shame he couldn’t see that.

      Kat went to shower and change, unable to get the day’s events out of her mind. What had happened between Luke and his son, and how come they’d had so little to do with each other up until now? She knew the basics of Ben’s behavioral problems—he wouldn’t be at Flight at all if he hadn’t had issues at home with his grandparents, who were his official guardians. She just wasn’t sure where Luke came in or why he hadn’t been involved in the boy’s life until now.

      Hot water warmed and soothed her. She stretched up her arms and closed her eyes, raising her face to the deluge, trying to relax. But Luke Travis’s angry expression wouldn’t leave her mind. His brown eyes had been so dark and fierce. What if he did complain about her to Tim or Mike?

      Well, just let