Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Perhaps going out to breakfast wasn’t a great idea. Finn hadn’t said anything to her other than “hello,” when she’d greeted him.
Whatever had happened this time with Poppy seemed to have broken his spirit even more than it already had been.
“How are the pancakes, Finn? Do you need more syrup?”
He shook his head and cut another piece off before popping it in his mouth. He avoided her gaze. As a former foster child, she was well versed in all the techniques to building walls around oneself. She was determined to remove Finn’s wall, brick by brick.
“Cerise, hi.”
She looked up and almost choked on the bite of bacon she’d put in her mouth. She chewed quickly and chased it down with a sip of her juice. “Brodie, what are you doing here?”
The fact she’d been able to form a coherent sentence surprised the hell out of her. Brodie in his firefighter uniform was impressive, but dressed for ranch work, well, he was the stuff fantasies were made of.
His blue jeans hugged his legs as if they were painted on. His pale-blue, button-down shirt highlighted his blue eyes. His brown hair showed the line of where his hat had been resting, the black cowboy hat was held in his hand. A slight-red hue highlighted his cheekbones.
Dang it girl, stop staring.
She quickly ducked her head.
Across the table Finn had frozen, his fork halfway to his mouth. His brown eyes wide, he looked like he was about to bolt.
Oh no, did he think Brodie was her boyfriend and she was now going to take him back to the home? She reached across the table and laid her hand over his other one clutched tightly around his knife, resting on the plate.
“Finn, it’s okay. Brodie is a friend. You’re coming home with me after we finish breakfast. I’m not going to take you back to the boys’ home. You can trust I won’t do that to you, ever.”
During her life she’d never hated anyone, but right at this moment, she hated Poppy.
She’d put such fear and doubt into this little boy’s mind that he believed, because she spoke to a man, she was going to dump Finn back at the home.
Nobody should ever feel that way, especially not a grieving child.
“Look, why don’t I just leave you guys to it? It’s good to see you.” Brodie nodded and started to walk away. But she didn’t want him to leave.
“Wait, don’t go.” He paused and raised a brow in question.
Cerise looked over at Finn. The little guy’s features had relaxed a bit, but not totally.
What he needed to see was that not all guys were bad and didn’t want to be around kids.
Not like the losers his aunt always seemed to hook up with.
Plus, Finn liked Mitch, and maybe if the boy knew that Brodie was also a friend of Mitch’s, he wouldn’t be so worried.
“Finn, is it okay if Brodie joins us? He’s a friend of Mitch and Nadia’s. He’s also a volunteer firefighter and, as you can see, a cowboy too.”
She risked a glance up at Brodie and caught the slightly bewildered smile on his face, but he didn’t look like he was about to run for the hills.
“Sure. I don’t care,” Finn mumbled before shoving another bite of pancake in his mouth.
Cerise slid across the booth and Brodie tucked himself in beside her. The scent of lemon and hay washed over her, and she controlled the urge to lean into him to take a deep breath.
“It’s nice to meet you, Finn.” Brodie’s deep voice was friendly and not threatening as if aware the little boy was scared around unfamiliar men. “Those pancakes look good. Do you recommend them?”
If she didn’t already like the man, she liked him even more now because he was engaging with Finn.
“They’re okay, I guess,” Finn mumbled around a mouthful.
Brodie shifted and his thigh brushed hers, causing darts of warmth to arrow out from the connection. Her heart rate kicked up a notch, and she had to control her breathing. This immediate reaction to him was throwing her for a loop.
“How about you, Sparkles? How’s the bacon and eggs?”
She blinked up at him as if there was a delay between him talking and the words registering in her mind. This wasn’t the first time he’d called her Sparkles and she had to admit she liked it—a lot. She’d totally own that nickname. “Umm . . . good?” Why was she answering him with a question?
“You’re not sure if they’re good?” he asked, grinning, causing even more havoc within her.
“No, I’m sure.” She smiled at the absurdity of her response. “They’re really good. I have them every time I come here.”
At that moment the server came up to the table with a coffee pot in one hand and mug in the other. If it was possible Cerise would’ve leapt up and kissed her for the interruption. She needed a few seconds to get her mind in order so that what she said made sense.
“You want some coffee, hon?” she asked Brodie.
“Yes, please. And I’ll have some bacon and eggs with a serving of the pancakes too.”
“Coming right up.” The server looked at Cerise. “You want anything else? A coffee top up?”
“No, I’m good. How about you, Finn?” The boy hesitated like he wanted to say he would like something else but was too afraid. She didn’t think it was possible, but her heart broke a little more for the boy. “You can order whatever you want.”
“Can I have a chocolate milkshake?” he asked quietly.
“Of course you can.” Cerise looked up at the server. “And one chocolate milkshake, too, please.”
“Got it.”
She walked off and Cerise played with the bacon on her plate. Nerves at having Brodie so close to her had stolen her appetite.
“So, Finn, how long have you known Cerise?”
Finn’s fork clattered to the plate, apparently shocked that he’d been asked a question. “Umm?” he looked at her, his eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights.
Cerise reached across and patted his hand. “Finn here is my foster son,” she said proudly. “This will be his third time staying with me, won’t it?”
“Yeah.” Finn sounded so dejected and she knew it wasn’t because he was staying with her again. Well, at least she hoped it wasn’t.
Brodie quirked his eyebrow at her and she shook her head. Now wasn’t the time or place to explain everything about Finn to him.
“What plans do you have today?” he asked instead.
“After we eat, I was going to take Finn home and get him settled. Then after that, well, we’ll just see where the day takes us.
” She thought maybe a trip to the park might cheer him up.
It was March, and March in Texas wasn’t too bad, weather wise.
It wasn’t too hot and the humidity hadn’t arrived yet, which was always a blessing.
The server returned with Brodie’s plate and Finn’s eyes went even wider at the tall stack of pancakes alongside the bacon and eggs. “Are you going to eat all that?” he asked.
Brodie chuckled and the sound tingled down her spine. What would it be like if he chuckled like that against her skin? A shiver rippled through her, and she grabbed her juice to keep her hands from pulling Brodie’s head to her neck and asking him to laugh again.
“I’m going to give it a red-hot go, Finn. Working on a ranch, I need a lot of energy.”
She turned to face Brodie. “Speaking of work, why are you here and not at the ranch?”
She’d caught him mid-bite and he held up his hand, indicating he’d answer after he finished chewing.
“I had to bring a load of guests back to Kerrville so they could make their way home. The next lot are due to arrive in a couple of days. Mrs. Alexander likes to have a few days in between so that the rooms and cabins can be aired out and given thorough cleanings. So, while I have my usual jobs I have to do, I can take a little time off. The Alexanders are really good about giving us all some relaxation time between guests.”
Cerise nodded. “That’s good.”
“Yep, it is. How about it, Finn? Would you like to come to the ranch and ride a horse? Pat a cow. Or maybe hold a baby goat?”
If she thought Finn’s eyes were bugging out before, they looked like they were about to fall out of his head. “Really?” For the first time since she’d picked him up from the home, a huge smile broke out over his face. His grey eyes lightened from the stormy color they’d been. “Can we, Miss Cerise?”
“Of course we can, buddy, and you know it’s Cerise, none of this Miss business.”
The server returned with Finn’s milkshake, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. “Thank you, ma’am,” he immediately responded when she placed it in front of him.
“You’re welcome, young man.” She then turned to Cerise. “I love a boy with good manners. Nicely done, Mom.”
Heat rose up in her cheeks at the compliment as well as the reference to her being Finn’s mother.
Her heart wished it was true, but maybe one day she would be a mom to the boy.
“Thank you. Finn is my foster son and his parents are responsible for his good manners. I’m just a beneficiary of all the good work they did. ”
“My mom and dad died in a boating accident,” Finn responded matter-of-factly. Yet the pain in his eyes was plain for Cerise to see. This boy needed all the hugs and love that he’d missed out on over the past two years, being shuffled to and from his aunt.
“Oh right, okay then.” The server looked like she’d rather be anywhere other than standing at the table. She folded their check in half and tucked it between the salt-and-pepper shakers. “No rush, whenever y’all are ready. Have a nice day.”
She rushed off and Cerise blew out a breath. “I kind of handled that all wrong,” she muttered.
“I think you did just fine. You’re in a unique situation. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Brodie squeezed her hand. “That was a ‘yes’ for the ranch visit, right?”
She wasn’t sure why he was asking the question again, since she’d already agreed. But maybe it was for Finn’s benefit, letting him know that Brodie hadn’t changed his mind in the last two minutes.
“Yep. We’ll have to make a stop at home to drop off Finn’s stuff. We’ll head straight out there after that.” She bit her lip as a thought struck. “Finn doesn’t have any cowboy boots.”
“Not a problem. Mrs. Alexander has plenty out there for the guests if they bring their kids and they don’t have them. We’ll get him sorted out.”
“I’m going to get my own pair of cowboy boots?” Finn asked, excitement lighting up his features again, all shyness and worry disappearing.
“Well, I’m not sure that you can keep them, but you can sure borrow them.”
“Oh.” His face fell and Cerise wanted to kick herself for not tackling the issue a little better—again. She was doing a great job in saying the wrong thing today.
“Don’t worry, bud, you’re probably growing like a weed at the moment and growing out of your shoes faster than I can rope a calf.” Bless Brodie for trying to make the situation better.
Finn’s eyes widened again. “You can rope a calf?”
“I sure can. I’ll show you today.”
“I can’t wait.” Finn practically vibrated with energy and Cerise had to blink rapidly to stop the tears from falling. Brodie had known the boy less than an hour, but he’d treated him in a way she was sure Finn hadn’t been treated since his parents died.
“You ready to go, Finn?”
“Yep, but . . .” he dropped his eyes to his milkshake, which was still half full. “I haven’t finished my shake yet.”
“Is that all?” she said. “We’ll get a to-go cup and take it with us.”
“Awesome. I’m gonna go ask now.” He was out of the booth before she could stop him. The level of confidence he was displaying wasn’t a side to him she’d seen before. But it warmed her heart that he was blossoming and feeling more sure of himself after being with her for only a short time.
She was pretty sure it was related to the man sitting beside her. “Thanks, Brodie.”
“For what?”
“For not ignoring Finn. For including him and inviting us to the ranch.”
“He seems like a great kid who’s been dealt a rough hand. I’m more than happy to give him a little fun. Although, shouldn’t he be in school?”
Cerise sighed. “Yeah, he should. It’s Thursday so I’ll give him today to settle in, and then we’ll go to the school tomorrow and sort things out. They’re understanding that things like this happen with him and his aunt. Luckily, he’s smart as a whip, so he catches up on any missed classes quickly.”
Finn returned with his cup and, not wanting to embarrass her charge, she didn’t say anymore. “You ready to go, bud?” she asked after he poured his shake into the foam cup.
“Yep.” He then turned to Brodie and stuck out his hand. “Thank you for the invite to the ranch, Mr. Brodie. I promise not to cause any trouble.”
Cerise held her breath to see what Brodie would do. He wouldn’t leave the boy hanging, would he? Her breath whooshed out when Brodie grasped the child’s much-smaller hand and looked him in the eye as he shook it. “I know you won’t cause any trouble, Finn. And I can’t wait to show you the ranch.”
Tears welled in her eyes and this time she couldn’t stop them from trickling down her cheeks. Brodie was warming her heart with how accepting he was of Finn.
Was it too much to hope that maybe she could warm Brodie’s heart too?