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Stepping the rest of the way into the room, he let his hands skim down the side of her arms until their fingers linked together. Squeezing her hands, he leaned in for a slow and tender peck on the lips before easing back. “Thank you.”
“There you are.” Fork in hand, Paige smiled up at her sister. “I wondered if you were going to sleep the day away.”
“It’s only nine o’clock in the morning.” She slid into a seat beside Craig who was working on a fresh batch of French toast. “Just grabbing a quick bite and then we’re heading back to the ranch.”
His fork halfway to his mouth, Craig paused to glance in Jared’s direction. Jared nodded and her brother returned a little less enthusiastically to his food.
Another short while, lots of hugs and suggesting another day in the future on theBaronesswould be fun, even if it cost Craig a small fortune, and they were on their way back to the peace and quiet of ranch country.
For the entire ride back to the house, Jake sat quietly in the back seat playing with his tablet. Every so often Eve would twist to check on him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, remnants from some of her psych classes screamed at her that too much screen time was never good for young kids. It took her a lot to limit the way she used her cell so as not to overdo screen time for herself. Of course, the house rules at the ranch of keeping phones tucked away didn’t hurt any. She’d have to remember to talk to Jared about it. It wouldn’t surprise her to learn that the poor kid’s lack of social skills were directly related to the amount of time he spent exercising his brain instead of his body.
As the vehicle drove under the iron arches of the Golden Creek ranch, she glanced in the rear seat once again, in time to catch Jake eyeing the house and for a brief flash, almost smiling. “When will I get to see MeeMaw?”
Wasn’t that the million-dollar question.
“She’s still sleeping so her body can heal.” Jared met the boy’s gaze in the rear view mirror. “As soon as we get you settled into the house, I’ll check with the doctors and see if there’s any update on when we can visit.”
The kid nodded and without a smile or flinch or single sign of what he might be thinking, returned to his tablet.
“Home sweet home.” Jared put on a wide smile, but Eve had come to know him well enough to recognize the forced effort. “I’ll get the bag out of the back.”
She met Jared by the hatch as Jake stepped out of the car, never looking up from the tablet. “Do you think he’s always this quiet?”
Taking in a long deep breath and blowing it out slowly, Jared shook his head. “I haven’t a bloody clue. Wish I did.”
She knew exactly how he felt. Eve was very good at what she did. The Barons were used to excelling at their chosen fields and even at their hobbies, but not until now did she realize just how darn little she knew about children.
The front door swung open and Cook appeared in the doorway. A bright smile on her face, and arms open wide, she ran down the front steps and folded Jake in her bosom as if he were her grandson, not Mary’s. “Welcome home. I made your favorite peanut butter cream cookies.”
Squeezing the woman’s middle harder than he might have normally, Jake pinched his eyes shut and seemed to be drinking in the comfort this smiling woman had to offer.
When he finally let go, Cook stepped back. “Only two weeks at camp, and my how you’ve grown.”
Eve had to bite back a grin when Jake rolled his eyes. Something told her this was familiar repartee for the little boy.
“Did you have lots of fun?” Cook swung an arm around the boy’s shoulders and nudged him toward the house. “I bet the campfires were great under all those stars.”
Jake gave a non-committal shrug.
“And the S’mores? I bet they weren’t as good as mine.”
This time Jake did smile and still snuggled against her side, shook his head.
The older lady was still talking to the boy when they crossed the threshold and disappeared into the kitchen. Maybe things were looking up for Jake already. At least, she sure hoped so.
After placing Jake’s bag in his new room, Jared took a minute to look around. Cook had done a great job of making the ordinary guest space look like a little boy’s room. Still, a few things struck him as odd. Mostly, the lack of traditional toys. At nine years old, Jared’s room had scattered sports equipment with the occasional Transformer or Power Ranger. Jake’s temporary bedroom had 1,000-piece puzzles, books—not children’s books—real books that Jared didn’t touch till high school or even college. On top of that, there were some impressive models. If he were a betting man, he’d be wagering on Jake being the poster boy for Future Engineers of America.
“What you thinking?” Eve came up beside him and rested her hand on his forearm.
“I’m more convinced than ever that this kid is more up your alley than mine.”
Her brows crinkled together. “How so?”
He took a moment to wave his arm across the wooden and Lego models. “We suspected math, and now I’m adding science to the kid’s skill set.”
To his surprise, Eve didn’t immediately counter his statement. Instead, she took in the items that he presumed had come from Mary’s apartment, slowly nodding. “Yep. One special kid. And despite what you suspect, I think we’re both out of this kid’s league.”
Back in the kitchen, Jake was happily eating cookies and playing—at least Jared assumed he was playing—on the tablet. For all Jared knew, his new ward might very well be calculating a cure for cancer or designing a rocket for Mars. All the times he’d walked past Jake in this exact same situation and he’d never taken the time to notice exactly what the kid was doing. “I have to check on the horses. Want to tag along?” He had no idea why he’d asked, but he couldn’t help but think, even though he just got back from camp, the kid needed to get out more. The best parts of Jared’s childhood involved dirt, mud, creeks, and horses.
