“I have a lot of kids. ” He did an exaggerated silent count on his fingers. “Seven. I spent the weekend with my seven kids. ”
“Don’t joke like that. I’m being serious. ” She looked so brittle, like she was barely keeping herself in one piece.
Why would Laura care so much about whether he had a kid? It made him want to goad her even more. What would it take for her to break through to the other side? For her to tell him what was really going on in that pretty head of hers? “I’m always serious, darlin’. ”
“Why can’t you own up to your obligations? Are you saying you’re not someone’s father? Just cop to it already. ” Her cheeks were flushed. Would she be taking this so seriously if she didn’t have some sort of feelings for him?
There was chemistry between them, no doubt about it. There always had been. What would it take for her to accept it? Accept him? It was time to clear the air. “Laura, slow down and listen for a minute. ”
“I am—”
“I don’t have a kid,” he said, cutting her off before she could reel back and hurl more his way. “I take care of kids. ”
She stilled, frowning. “What do you mean? Like…you babysit?”
He barked out a laugh. “No. ” His laugh faded as he considered it. “God, no. Though sometimes it feels like it. I take at-risk kids camping. That’s all. I promise. ”
“Camping?” She was staring at him like he’d begun to speak Greek. “That’s why you’re always going to Reno? To pick up at-risk kids?”
He nodded. “I work with the community center there, downtown. ”
“Oh,” she said quietly. She stared at him, dumbfounded.
“See?” He smiled nervously. What was that look on her face? What was she seeing when she looked at him? “I’m not such a monster. ”
She sighed, lifting her face to the sky. “No, I am. ”
The statement shocked another laugh from him. “Hardly. ”
She shook her head, clearly needing a moment to wrap her mind around it. “To jump to conclusions like that when all the while you’re taking poor kids camping? I’m horrible. ”
“Okay, maybe a little horrible. ” He grinned. “In the prettiest of ways. ”
She shoved him. “Why didn’t you say something?” Then, studying his truck, she said, “Is that why you got such a ridiculously big vehicle? So you can drive kids around?”
“Nah, they wouldn’t even fit in this old girl. I borrow a van from the center instead. ” He patted the shiny red paint job. “You’re coming around to her, aren’t you?”
“Nope. Not one little bit. ” She glanced at the gear in the back. “So who pays for all this?”
He shrugged. “I do. ”
“You do?”
“It’s no big deal. I don’t have any bills to pay, not really. There aren’t a lot of good local programs for these kids, so I figure, how hard is it for me to buy stuff like food? They barely eat anything. And then the gear I use over and over again. Other people kick in a little extra here and there. Doctor Mark is always good for some supplies. ”
“Other people know about this?”
“Not many, no. I don’t advertise or anything. There’s just too much explaining to do. ” He added with a smile, “Kind of like I’m having to do now. ” Seeing her crestfallen expression, he chucked her chin. “Kidding. ”
“Jeez, what must you think of me?”
“I think you’re a businesswoman looking out for your own. ”
“You must’ve thought I was insane. ” She sagged against the side of the truck. “I’ve been such a shrew. I’ve just felt so…alone in all this. It’s overwhelming. I feel like it’s up to me to carry the family. ”
He wanted nothing more than to give the poor woman a hug, but he knew to keep his hands to himself. “Seems like you and Sorrow are getting along now. ”
“I can’t bug her with everything—she’s got her own thing going on, plus with Sully gone, she’s the one managing all the cooking. And then there’s Dad. Since his stroke, our medical bills have been nuts. You wouldn’t believe the paperwork I have to sift through just when he gets a simple checkup. I did the books recently, and it’s getting harder and harder to balance the damned things. When I ran the numbers, the loss I projected with your, your…Slumbertimes Spa”—their eyes met as they shared an amused look—“I just don’t see how we can pull through. ”