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“I suspect that’s my fault, too,” he retorted, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on a red-faced Hutch. “You couldn’t have earned much tip money today, thanks to me.”
“No, Ididn’t,” she conceded. “But it wouldn’t have made that much difference. Ihad some unexpected car expenses this month, too. It put us behind.”
“Still, the woman shouldn’t have made Hutch sit out here on the stoop.”
“To be honest,” Hutch began—afirst since they’d arrived, Ty was willing to bet, “it’s Miz Mopsey who has to stay on the stoop. Not me. Iwas afraid to leave her alone, so I decided to sit with her until you got back.”
“What about Mrs. Welch? Why isn’t she still watching you?” Cassidy asked.
“I...uh...told her you’d just pulled up.”
“You know better than that,” she scolded, though clearly, her heart wasn’t in the reprimand. “I’ll go in and start packing.”
“No need. Itook care of everything.” Hutch smiled angelically. “I didn’t want you to have any more hassles after what you’ve been through today. So I packed everything up and stashed it right inside the door.”
She leaned down and ruffled his hair, offering a tremulous smile. “Thanks, sweetpea. Idon’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I could make a wild guess,” Ty muttered.
She swiveled to frown at him. “What did you say?”
He attempted to match Hutch’s innocent smile. “I said, I’d like to have you as my guests.” He wasn’t the least surprised when she shook herhead.
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary.” Her tone was adamant. “We’ll stay in a motel for a night or two while I look for a new place.”
He could press the issue but suspected it wouldn’t get him anywhere. Cassidy Lonigan might have a voice like sweet syrup, but it covered an indomitable will. Backing her in a corner would only force her to fight all the harder for her freedom. She didn’t wait for his reply but opened the door to the apartment building and picked up the first of the boxes stacked inside. Clumping down the steps, she tripped along the sidewalk toward a rusted-out rattletrap. Watching her, Ty didn’t know whether to laugh or pack the woman up in one of her own boxes and dump her in his truck. Following her example seemed the smartest choice for now. He climbed the steps and selected the largest of the cartons stacked by the door. Passing Hutch, he surprised a scowl on the boy’sface.
“What’s with you, kid?”
“Nothin’.”
Yeah, right. It didn’t take more than half a brain cell to figure out what was bothering the boy. “You don’t know your mother real well, do you?”
That got a reaction. “Course I do! She’s my mom.”
“Then you ought to know what would happen if I insisted the two of you come home with me. Now get your butt off that stoop and grab a box.”
By the time he and Hutch had reached Cassidy’s bucket of bolts, she was on her way back for a second load. “She’d keep sayin’ no,” the boy said as they stowed the boxes in thecar.
Ty suppressed a grin. So the kid had been paying attention. “And if I kept pushing her?”
“She’d tell you no, come hell or high water.”
“Watch your mouth, boy.”
“Yes, sir. Sorry.”
Seeing that at least Hutch’s contrition was sincere—if little else—Ty relented. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about your mother, it’s that she’s prideful and as self-sufficient as they come. Imight not like the decisions those traits cause her to make, but I respect your mother too much to try to impose my will on her. It’s her choice or no choice. So until we find a way to coax her down our pathway while keeping her pride and independence intact, we back off. Let her check out all the other available trails first. With luck, she’ll eventually see things our way.”
Hutch beamed. “No problem. Ithink I can get her on the right path.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ty muttered.
“Because you know I’m smart. Scary smart.” The boy adjusted his glasses and fixed Ty with serious blue eyes. “And that doesn’t bother you, right?”
Ty snorted. “Not hardly.”
Something akin to relief crept into the boy’s gaze. “Just checking. You could have changed your mind since earlier.”
