Second Chance Dad (Aspen Creek Crossroads Book 2)

by Roxanne Rustand

With the three-day holiday weekend and heavy influx of tourists flocking in from the Chicago area and the Twin Cities, both Keeley’s antiques store and Beth’s bookstore promised to be swamped with customers, so the book club unanimously agreed to cancel its Saturday meeting.

  Sophie took Eli into town to buy him some new tennis shoes, then drove over to Gramps’s place, to clean up any remaining vestiges of the picnic yesterday…only to find the kitchen sparkling clean, fresh coffee in the pot, and Gramps sitting on the back porch with Alberta, reminiscing about the old days in Aspen Creek.

  “Well, Eli—what should we do next? Would you like to go swimming out at the lake?”

  He shook his head.

  “We could go hiking out to Crawford’s Mill and back. That’s a pretty trail.”

  “Naaah.”

  “The library?”

  He stared out the side window of the car and shrugged.

  “Should we see if Cody Mendez wants to play? Maybe he’s at the bookstore with his mom and would like to come over to our place.”

  No response.

  “Then maybe we should just go home.”

  “Can’t we go to Dr. McLaren’s house?” He swiveled in his seat to look at her. “He could use my help, Mom. He’s got the Harley motor torn apart and everything. It’s so cool—he’s cleaning and examining every piece, which he’s real good at because he’s a doctor. He’s got the wheels off and everything.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Can’t you ask? Please?”

  “It’s not that simple, sweetheart. He has a life of his own, and has things to do. We don’t want to be in the way.”

  Eli flopped back in his seat, his arms folded over his chest. “You just don’t like him.”

  “He’s a nice man.”

  “But you don’t want to go there because you don’t like him and he kissed you. Yuck.”

  “I—” How did she respond to that? “I think it’s time for us to go home. I need to do some house-cleaning, and you need to clean your room.”

  “Mo-o-om!”

  “Whiners also get to empty the dishwasher if they aren’t careful.”

  In the rearview mirror she could see him waver, then his mouth snapped shut.

  Why had she ever allowed him to start going out to Josh McLaren’s in the first place? It was like dangling the very thing Eli wanted in front of his face, and then snatching it away. Male companionship coupled with a glorious, fixer-upper Harley had been like trips to a theme park and a toy store, all rolled into one.

  Yet because of one kiss, she’d felt uncomfortable enough to take it all away. How selfish was that?

  “How about this. I’ll talk to Dr. McLaren during his therapy appointment on Monday and see about setting up a day so you can go out there one more time. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  He bit his lower lip. “One day? Only one?”

  She flipped on the turn signal and turned up their street. “Be glad—”

  She blinked. Eli leaned forward, then shouted with glee. “He’s here, Mom—he came here to see us!”

  She could barely hold Eli back until she pulled to a stop behind Josh’s truck. Before she even turned off the motor, he’d launched out of the backseat and raced to where Josh was propped against the back fender of his vehicle reading a book.

  She raised a hand weakly in greeting, then leaned against the back of her seat and watched as her quiet, temporarily sullen son transformed into a chatterbox before her very eyes.

  If she hadn’t taken Eli with her to work that day, he never would’ve seen the motorcycle. Never would’ve developed such a case of hero worship. And he never would’ve been at risk again, for being hurt by another man who, like Todd, would undoubtedly drop out of his life.

  Dear, Lord, what have I done?

  Eli appeared happy to see him. His mother…not so much. Maybe it had been a mistake to come into town to see them, the day after that unexpected kiss.

  But he’d been thinking about the situation ever since and had come to the obvious conclusion that though she’d responded to his kiss, she wasn’t going to admit it in the next million years if she could help it. And further, she would likely avoid him like the plague just ought of sheer embarrassment.

  So the next move was up to him.

  “Howdy,” he called out to her as he slipped the paperback into the back pocket of his jeans and sauntered over to her car. He braced a hand on the roof-line and bent down to peer inside. “Thought I might run into you at the bookstore this morning, but you and your friends weren’t there.”

  “Cancelled. Holiday weekend.”

  “That’s what Beth said.”

  “She told you where I live?”

  “Nope. I looked you up in the local phone book.” He straightened and stepped back when she moved to open the door. “I could’ve called, but I figured it might be better to just stop by. I’m sorry if I offended you last night at your grandfather’s house, so I’ve come to make amends.”

  She stepped out of the car and flicked a glance at her son. “Eli, go to the house.”

  “But, Mo-om…”

  “Now. I’ll be there in a minute.” She waited until he dragged his feet up the walk to the front door, looked back one more time and then went inside. “I’m not offended or angry, Dr. McLaren. I’m afraid.”

  He frowned. “Isn’t that taking this a little too far?”

  “I’m afraid for my son.”

  “I would never do anything to harm a child, Sophie. If you know nothing else about me, that ought to be clear.”

  “I know. You were the one who brought up your own concerns in the first place, while I was encouraging you to spend a little time with him. But now…all I can think about is how terribly he still misses his father. And, after the one time I briefly tried dating, how much he missed Todd—even though the man barely gave him the time of day.”

  “You’re a good mom, protective and loving, but you can’t really be a male figure in his life.”

  “I know,” she murmured.

  “Let’s just play it by ear. He’s crazy over that motorcycle in my garage, so let him work on it with me. Come along, if you like. Before long that Harley will be all put together again, and then I’ll probably sell it.”

  She looked up, startled. “Really?”

  “Unless my sister changes her mind and says she wants it. We don’t have the happiest memories associated with that bike, though, so I’m guessing she’d rather see it sold. And after that, coming to my place won’t be nearly as intriguing. Eli will probably even start begging you to take him someplace else.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Sooo, Sophie, how are things going?” Keeley asked as she eyed a dried flower arrangement in an old milk can in front of her antiques shop.

  “Not bad.”

  She pulled out a cattail and poked it back in, farther to one side. “We missed you at the book club meeting last Saturday. A little birdie tells me you’ve been seeing Dr. McLaren.”

  “And that little birdie. Would she be about five feet tall and two hundred pounds? Pushing ninety?”

  “You got it. Alberta saw me in the grocery store and she’s quite a chatterbox, but I didn’t quite understand it all…something about a ‘romancin’ pie’?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “She stops in to keep Gramps company now and then, so she thinks she has the latest scoop. But there’s no romance going on, believe me.”

  Keeley angled a dry look at her, then reached up to gather some flyaway strands of her long, blond hair into the loose knot on her head. “So tell me about this nonromance of yours. McLaren seems like a pretty nice guy.”

  “He is. It started because Eli saw an old Harley in his garage. And you know Eli and his Harleys—it was love at first sight.”

  Keeley grinned. “With that kind of focus, some day your boy is going to be a rocket scientist.”

  “McLaren was nice enough to let Eli help him tinker with it, and things sort of grew from there
. I stay close by, in case Eli gets a little too rambunctious or starts to drive the man crazy with all of his questions, but so far I think Josh seems to enjoy a little company.”

  “Eli needs someone like that.”

  “Exactly. Gramps is too old to want to be involved in projects, and Dad isn’t at all patient with him. So Eli is now like Josh’s shadow, whenever he has the chance.”

  “Eli must love it.”

  “And it’s not just the motorcycle. He doesn’t necessarily relate to people well, and I’m just hoping that the companionship with a kind man and the chance to learn to work with some tools will do him good. He’ll always have his Asperger’s, but if he can learn to relate to Josh through that Harley, then maybe that can help Eli deal with other social situations in a more positive way, too.”

  Keeley’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s wonderful!”

  “I still have so much to learn about what makes Eli tick, though, and what I can do better so I can help him. I wish there were support groups in the area, or something.”

  “So…what will happen if this guy moves away?”

  “My worry, too, since Eli got so attached to the man I dated last year.”

  Keeley raised an eyebrow. “But how can you prevent that?”

  “I keep reminding him that Josh is only a friend and not daddy material. I just hope it helps if Josh suddenly picks up and moves back to Chicago, or something.”

  “Good luck with that.” Keeley fluffed the cranberry corduroy pillows on the fanciful willow settee on the sidewalk under her front display window, then stepped back to assess the overall appearance of her storefront. “One of these days you’ll just have to settle down with someone.”

  Sophie laughed. “Like that’s so easy. I really think I’m better off alone.”

  “Maybe not. Just because your dad is difficult and Rob and you were practically just roommates doesn’t mean there isn’t some wonderful guy out there who could sweep you off your feet.”

  “Right. So when you find one of those paragons, just ask him if he has a brother.”

  Keeley grinned at their familiar exchange, gave her a hug, then waggled the tips of her fingers. “I’ve got to open up and get ready for the day, or Edna will give me demerits. Be good.”

  Sophie watched her friend go inside and flip over the sign in the window of the pretty little cottage to Open, then headed to the drugstore down the street for suntan lotion.

  Eli had been excited about the outing planned for this afternoon, and hadn’t wanted to go to his grandparents’ for the day. But with her full schedule of home visits with clients, there was hardly a choice. Her job—as long as she had it—had to come first.

  After she finished her errand and started driving to her first appointment of the day, she let her thoughts wander. There were no paragons out there. She no longer had foolish, teenage fantasies about that.

  But just for a while, she had something better.

  With twice-weekly physical therapy appointments scheduled for Josh through the last week in July, going out there had become a comfortable routine since that picnic on the Fourth.

  He was always her last appointment of the day, so now she usually stopped by Dad and Margie’s house to pick up Eli. He read quietly or did crossword puzzles out on the porch with Bear at his side during Josh’s physical therapy session.

  Afterward, Sophie sat on the wide, cool porch of the cabin and caught up on the day’s patient charting or read while Josh and Eli had their hour to tinker on the Harley restoration or some other project around the place—whether it be a leaky faucet, an oil change, or replacing filters on the cabin air conditioner.

  Eli avidly researched everything on the internet and the library, soaking up information and Josh’s praise like a thirsty seedling.

  Sometimes, they grilled hotdogs or steaks, or caught some nice sunfish for supper…or stopped at some little café in one of the surrounding towns. Low-key, no pressure, just comfortable, light banter and companionship. Friends, and nothing more.

  Except for that first kiss.

  The knowledge of it still seemed to hover in the air between Josh and her, adding a sizzle of awareness to every inadvertent touch. Whether it was an accidental brush of a hand, or a brief moment when their eyes met and locked, she found herself thinking about that kiss way too much.

  And, just like the old joke about telling someone to not think about elephants, the more she tried to forget it, the more it flitted back into her thoughts.

  Had she ever felt that way with anyone else? That was a definite no.

  Sometimes she even wondered if she might have dreamed it, except for the fact that Eli had seen Josh kiss her and then, with his simple, childish logic had asked hopefully if she was going to get married.

  But that would never again happen without true, abiding love. And given what she knew about herself, it would therefore never happen at all.

  The next Monday, Josh met her at the door, moving even better than he had before. There was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. “I have been out here for too long,” he announced. “What would you say to the possibility of some adventure instead of our usual routine?”

  “Adventure?” She thought about the specific new exercises she needed to introduce today, according to the treatment plan she’d drawn up. The progress notes that Grace would probably review at some point and then question. “I’m not sure I—”

  “I don’t remember the last time I’ve been outside and really had a workout. That ought to count as therapy. Right? It sure would to me, anyhow.” He grinned. “I imagine it would involve muscles I don’t even know I have.”

  “Workout?” she asked cautiously. “As in, completing your therapy out on the porch?”

  “Farther. Eli is with his grandparents, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “If you were to give them a call, do you think they could watch him an extra hour or so?”

  “We really need to stay on task here, Josh. That’s why I come out here. It’s an appointment. For your therapy.”

  “Let’s split the difference, then. Half hour here. Then let’s hit the river.”

  Startled, she caught the amusement in his eyes. “River! Since when do you have any interest in the river?”

  “Since you railroaded me into therapy and made me feel better.” His mouth twitched. “It’s been years, now, but I used to compete in triathlons during my college days. Once I got into medical school and then started practice, I never found the time.”

  Taken aback, she looked up at him. “So you want to go out on the river.”

  “I’m going stir-crazy here. I thought it might be fun for both of us, to go out for just a while today—and definitely great for strength building, right? Then maybe over the weekend we could go longer and take Eli with us.”

  “Do you have a canoe or a kayak?”

  “Not here. But there’s a high adventure sporting goods store down the block from the bookstore that belongs to your friend Beth, and it backs right up to Aspen Creek. I think,” he added after a moment’s thought, “that it belongs to her fiancé, if I’m not mistaken.”

  She laughed. “I guess you’ve done your home work.”

  “I just happened to be in his store yesterday, and they were discussing their wedding plans. Deal?”

  “Deal. Your full hour of therapy, and then we can go. If Eli can stay with his grandma a little later.”

  With Grandma Margie willing to let Eli stay for the rest of the evening if need be, Sophie drove with Josh to Devlin’s store. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked. “We could go for a cup of coffee instead. I know your muscles must be tender after the range of motion exercises you just did.”

  “This will be like dessert.” He smiled at her as he climbed out of her car. “Though if you aren’t up to this, just say the word.”

  She grinned back at him. “Lead the way.”

  The massive limestone building, a twin of the building housing
Beth’s bookstore, had always reminded her of an old castle, though while Beth’s store was decorated in a quaint, welcoming style with plants, comfy rockers and upholstered chairs, and scented with candles on warmers, Devlin had created an entirely different atmosphere in his own store.

  Outside, colorful pennants danced on the breeze from the second story, and bright kayaks leaned against the building along the sidewalk. Inside, the northwoods decor and enticing displays of everything from high adventure mountain climbing gear to skiing, camping and roller blading equipment caught the eye.

  They found Dev and his assistant store manager, Frank Ferguson, working on a display of mountain bikes.

  Frank, in his late-sixties, had the thin, austere look of a man who could be a college professor and indeed had been a teacher until region-wide cutbacks eliminated his career. But now, he clearly loved his new job and beamed when he saw Sophie walk in the door. “You’re back, and I’ll bet you decided to go ahead with that mountain bike over there, right?” He nodded toward the rack of used bikes against the wall. “We can do layaway, you know.”

  “In my dreams, Frank.” Still, she walked over to the rack and ran a hand over the sleek frame of the Trek Fuel EX 8. A year old, it had a few dings, yet it was still well over twelve hundred dollars. It might as well be a million, given her current financial status. “But it sure would be nice. We’re actually here to rent a canoe for a few hours. Have any to spare?”

  Dev set aside a screwdriver and stood, every inch of him the career Marine he had been until injuries forced his medical retirement. He nodded at Josh. “Good to see you in here again. If you decide to consign your Rossignol skis this fall, let me know. I’d like to start building up some stock in higher-end skis before the season starts.”

  Sophie looked over her shoulder at Josh in surprise. He’d started out as a grumpy recluse who barely left his dreary cabin. Now this, too? “You’re a man of many surprises. What else do you do?”

  He shrugged. “Past tense. A few things—back when I had the time and motivation. Times change.”