A Home for Christmas

by Vaughn, Ann

  “Thanks. I’ve worked hard at perfecting it.”

  “Homemade lasagna, homemade hot chocolate…I think I hit the jackpot today,” he teased.

  Jenna smiled at him over the rim of her mug. She’d been doing a lot of smiling today. Riley was always smiling and it was infectious. He was so easy to be around, except for the few times today when she caught herself acutely aware of the fact that he was an extremely attractive male.

  She led him back into the living room and sank down on one end of her couch, tucking one leg under her so she could face him when he sat down.

  “Are you sure you won’t mind spending the day at the track tomorrow?” she asked.

  “I’m sure. Now, tell me about you,” he said, studying her. “Do you still clean houses or do you have a staff that does them?”

  “I have a staff that does the majority of my accounts, but there are some clients, some of my very first ones, that I still do. I actually clean your aunt’s house, Lisa Riley, and your cousin Lainey’s.”

  “Really? Small world, huh?”

  “Lainey was one of my very first clients, and then I got her mother off of her recommendation. Now that I know you’re related to Lainey, I see the resemblance. Blonde hair. Green eyes. You probably look more like Lainey than I remember Trevor does.”

  “Trev’s hair is darker than mine,” Riley said.

  “And his eyes aren’t as green,” she said, then ducked her head to hide her blush. Did she seriously just say that?

  He chuckled. “Can’t say I’ve really ever noticed.”

  “Eyes are windows to the soul,” she said, “I’ve always noticed people’s eyes. Do they shine, are they flat? You can take the measure of a person by looking into their eyes.”

  “Very true,” he said, “part of my training dealt with reading people and the easiest way is through the eyes.”

  “Your eyes are very expressive,” she said.

  “Are they?”

  “Yes. They’re very vibrant. You enjoy life and it shows in them.”

  “Yours, on the other hand, are a mystery. They light up when you smile and when you look at your son…but I’ve seen wariness in them, too.”

  “I’m a divorced, single mom. I have to keep my guard up.”

  “Understandable…but I’ll let you in on a secret: you can trust me, Jenna. You and Cam, you’re safe with me.”

  She drew a deep breath. “I’m not so sure about that, Riley. You may be the biggest threat I’ve ever encountered.”

  “Who me? I’m a teddy bear.”

  Jenna laughed at that and tried to keep her voice down to keep from disturbing Cam.

  “A teddy bear?”

  “Absolutely!” he insisted.

  “A teddy bear with a six-pack and a tattoo.”

  He winked at her. “That’s the best kind.”

  She shook her head. “What’s the tat about?”

  “My friend Zig, who we lost. Got it in tribute to him. He had that pattern tattooed across his shoulders on his back. A few of us got versions of it to remember him. Mine is small compared to what some of the guys did. Whit had Zig’s exact tattoo done on his back. Colt’s goes from his shoulder blade on his back, to his shoulder and down his arm.”

  “Did you all get the tattoo?”

  “No. Mike didn’t. He didn’t want any identifying marks on him. Zig was the only one of us who had one during active duty. We got ours after we left the Service.”

  A chill ran down her spine at his words. No identifying marks. It was sobering to know that he was part of a unit that, if he’d been captured, his country would disavow him.

  “I can’t imagine what you went through. And you still do that kind of work? For your securities company?”

  “Well, we aren’t sent to kill anyone any more,” he said, making her eyes widen. “We do a lot of recovery of kidnap victims overseas. Provide high end security systems. Occasionally go after high level skip traces.”

  “So, your job is still dangerous?”

  “On occasion. I’m also a part-time member of the local SWAT team for my Uncle Gavin, who is the Springfield Police Chief.”

  “Part-time?”

  “More like, as needed, which isn’t often.”

  “Wow.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “I should go. What time do you want me to pick y’all up in the morning?”

  “What?” she asked, surprised by his offer.

  “What time does Cam need to be at the track?”

  “Um…around eight. He has to be there early to register and have his bike inspected.”

  “Where’s his bike?”

  “In the garage.”

  Riley’s eyes widened slightly. “How do you transport it?”

  “I have a trailer.”

  “How long does it take to get from here to the track?”

  “About twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll be here at seven.”

  “Riley, you don’t have…”

  “Seven, Jenna,” he said, standing. He leaned down, pressed a lingering kiss to her brow, then turned to go. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Riley,” she whispered, watching, stunned, as he walked out the door.

  Chapter Four

  Jenna was still a little bleary eyed when her doorbell rang the next morning. Finishing the final twists of the hair tie for her ponytail, she went to the door and opened it to see Riley in sweats, another hoodie and baseball cap. He held a large doughnut box and had a huge smile on his face.

  “Good morning, Sunshine,” he said and chuckled when she groaned as she let him inside. “Not a morning person?”

  “Not today. Cam’s bike toppled over on me when I was loading it.”

  His smile vanished. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you wait for me to get here? I could have…”

  “I’ve been loading Cam’s bike all by myself for the last five years, Riley. It was my fault, I didn’t make sure it was secure before I let go of it. I’m fine, just a little scraped and bruised.”

  He studied her a moment, then, placing the box of doughnuts down on her entryway table, put his hand on her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking into his eyes.

  “I get that you’ve been doing it on your own, and doing a good job…but, you knew I was coming this morning. It’s okay to ask for help every once in a while. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”

  She opened her mouth to reply but stopped when Cam came up behind them. She took a step back, removing his hand from her face. Riley wasn’t sure if what he’d said upset her or got through to her, but he decided to let it go, turning his attention to Cam.

  “Hey, Cam. Ready to ride today?”

  “Oh yeah, I am so ready! If I finish in the top five, I win the Championship for the season.”

  “That’s awesome. Like your chances?”

  “They’re all gonna be eating my dust!”

  Riley laughed. “Brought doughnuts for you,” he said, nodding toward the box. “Why don’t you take those into the kitchen?”

  “Sweet! Thanks!” Cam said, snatching the box off the table and heading off toward the kitchen.

  “Jenna,” Riley said softly, turning her attention back to him, “I didn’t mean to insult you in any way.”

  She sighed. “You didn’t. I’m sorry for snapping at you. It’s just been one of those mornings already. And I’m always nervous on race days.”

  “Understandable,” he said, then surprised her by pulling her into his arms and giving her a hug. “Take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax,” he said softly into her ear. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

  Jenna stiffened for just a moment before sighing and allowing herself to enjoy the feel of his arms around her, his body pressed against hers. He was stroking her ponytail and just before she felt his muscles move to let her go, he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
<
br />   “Thank you,” she whispered when he stepped back.

  He winked at her. “My pleasure. Let's go grab a doughnut before Cam inhales them all.”

  Taking a deep breath, Jenna lectured herself on being calm as she followed Riley into the kitchen. She listened to Cam tell Riley all about the race, what size bike he rides and how he’s done all season. Riley proved to be knowledgeable about the dirt bikes Cam was talking about, which earned him major cool points with Cam, and secretly impressed her as well. After they ate, they went out to load up.

  “Why don’t we hitch the trailer to my truck?” Riley said.

  “Ooo, yeah, Mom, can we?” Cam asked, excited about riding in Riley’s brother’s Monster truck.

  She smiled, unable to resist the excited look on his face. “OK, sure, why not?”

  “Cool!!”

  “Get your gear out of ours,” she told him, handing Riley the key to her hitch.

  She tried to help but one look from Riley had her stepping back with Cam, watching Riley undo the hitch, pull it down the driveway to his truck and hook it up. When he was done, he motioned them over, and walked around to the passenger side to help Jenna into the cab.

  “Sit back and enjoy the ride,” he told her, eyes shining.

  “I’ll try,” she said, reaching out to touch his cheek before he stepped back. “Thank you, Riley,” she whispered.

  “Anytime,” he said before shutting the door and walking around to the driver’s side.

  Riley shook his head at the hauler as he rounded the truck. It was obviously a gift from Wade. The sides were airbrushed with an image of Wade and Cam on their bikes, and labeled with Blackwell MotorSports and Wade and Cam’s number 98. Riley knew it was done more for the intimidation factor than anything else. On one hand, any kid seeing that he would be racing against Wade Blackwell’s kid could be intimidated. On the other, however, he knew how much pressure that would put on Cam. Everyone would know, from the moment he pulled into the parking lot, who Wade Blackwell’s kid was.

  Jenna was pretty tense and he couldn’t imagine how she must feel, going out to watch her son make all those jumps on a motorcycle. His mother had raised four boys and he and his brothers had all raced dirt bikes at one point or another, along with all their other sports and activities. He still didn’t know how his mom had kept her sanity with the four of them being so close in age and being the daredevils that they were.

  Cam chatted away on the ride, but once at the track, Riley watched him slip into competitor mode. He was quick to flash his grin, a combination Riley saw was a good mix of Jenna and Wade. A few kids came up to Cam and asked for his autograph, which Riley found odd but Cam took in stride. He was beginning to see what it meant for Cam to be the son of such a big celebrity in the Motocross world.

  Several people called out to Jenna and she waved to them as they made their way from the truck to the registration table just inside the track entrance. She had slipped into a no-nonsense persona as well. He wasn’t sure he liked the transformation of the two fun-loving people he was with yesterday. They seemed guarded and aloof.

  “Hey, Blackwell!” a kid’s voice called. Beside him, Cam stiffened while Jenna didn’t even look up from her paperwork.

  “Ignore him,” she said low.

  “You’re going down, Blackwell!”

  “Eyes straight ahead, Cam,” Jenna warned.

  “Keep hiding behind your mommy, Blackwell. Maybe if you weren’t such a Momma’s Boy, your dad wouldn’t have left.”

  Riley’s head snapped around to the kid who was taunting Cam. He was bigger than Cam, Riley would guess him to be a couple of years older. There was no parent near the boy, but plenty of adults milling around in the area. Instead of getting onto the bully, most of the adults looked as if they agreed with him. Riley felt his blood pressure rise. Picking on Cam because of his father or because he was good, either way, was unacceptable.

  “Who is that kid?” Riley asked.

  “Just a bully,” Jenna said, handing Cam’s completed entry form to the attendant. “Come on, let’s go unload,” she said, putting her hand on the back of Cam’s neck.

  “Go hide in your hauler, Momma’s Boy,” the kid called out again.

  “Hey,” Riley snapped. “Knock it off.”

  “Riley,” Jenna cautioned, tugging on his arm. “Let it go.”

  “This is wrong,” he said, glaring over at the other kid.

  “It’s part of it all. Cam does his talking on the track. We can’t get caught up in the taunts.”

  Riley looked down at Cam who had a bit of a scowl on his face.

  “Yeah, but he shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of crap.”

  “I’m used to it,” Cam mumbled, going past them to the truck, taking a set of keys from his pocket and unlocking the door to the lounge part of the hauler.

  Riley stared at the open door a minute then looked back to Jenna. “Is it always like this? Kids taunting him and no one stopping them?”

  She sighed. “That kid was Jake Henstridge. He’s in second place behind Cam in the points.”

  “Henstridge, as in Henstridge Chevrolet?”

  “The same.”

  “And being Wade Blackwell’s son is keeping Jake from being King of the Mountain,” Riley concluded.

  “You got it. And they all know that Wade isn’t really a big part of Cam’s life, other than for show so they feel no need to kiss up and make friends. You should have seen them all the last time Wade did come to the track.”

  “Slobbering all over him and acting like they were all Cam’s best friends?”

  “You guessed it.”

  “So, who are Cam’s friends?”

  “He has a really good group of school and neighborhood friends, thankfully. Boys he has grown up with. He plays baseball with them, so he doesn’t just ride. But he’s getting to the point where he’s needing to travel to races to face better competition so he won’t be able to play ball with them much longer…if that is the route he chooses to go.”

  “Do you think he will?”

  She sighed. “I honestly don’t know. He’s good…but living in Wade’s shadow is tough.”

  “Does he enjoy it?”

  “He does. He’s made some friends at some of the bigger races. It’s just these local ones that he has these types of issues. At the bigger tracks, there are some of the other Motocross guys kids so he isn’t quite as exotic there, although none of them are as big a name as Wade…and all of their fathers are more involved with them than Wade is with Cam.”

  Riley shook his head. “They market Wade as this really kid-friendly guy.”

  Jenna offered him a half smile. “Don’t get me wrong, Wade is great with kids…unfortunately, it’s all for show. Cam doesn’t even enjoy the time he spends with Wade any more. He says that Wade is Wade Blackwell the celebrity with him, not like his dad. And I hate that for him, Riley. Ten years old and he’s already figured out that his dad thinks his career is more important.”

  “That’s just wrong,” he agreed. “It’s to your credit that he’s as good a kid as he is.”

  “Thank you. Wade wasn’t always like this. When we were first together and when Cam was born, he was great. It was when the success hit that things got out-of-control. Cam! Come on, bud, time to unload. First practice in fifteen minutes.”

  “I don’t want to practice,” he called.

  Jenna closed her eyes a moment, then went into the hauler. Riley hesitated a moment, unsure whether he should follow, but then decided he wanted to be a part of their lives, so he stepped inside. Jenna had her arms folded over her chest. Cam was sitting, staring out the window.

  “What’s going on, Cam?” he asked, squatting down in front of Cam’s chair.

  “Don’t feel like going out.”

  “Because of that kid?” Cam shrugged. “Talk to me. You’ve raced him before?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Beat him before?”

  “He’s never finished h
igher than me.”

  “Then why are you letting him get in your head now?”

  “I guess…what he said? I know why Mom and Dad split up, I do. But sometimes I do wonder if I did something to make him leave.”

  “Oh, Cam,” Jenna began.

  “I know I didn’t, Mom, but…he’s not racing right now. He knows today is the last race of the season and that I’m up for the championship. Why couldn’t he come?”

  Jenna felt her heart completely break. She knew that Cam had been disappointed when Wade said he had a prior commitment today, but she had no idea it was bothering him this much.

  “You know, Cam, your dad is a big name guy in the sports world. His time isn’t always his own,” Riley told him. “I’m sure he’d be here if he could. Your mom has her video camera, so go out there and ride like he is here watching. And hey, I haven’t seen you race yet. You gotta show me whatcha got.”

  A small smile touched the corner of Cam’s mouth. “I could do that.”

  “Yeah? I don’t know. That Jake kid looked pretty tough.”

  That got a snarky little laugh from Cam. “He’s a wuss.”

  “So, go show me.”

  “Yeah, OK,” he said, getting up and grabbing his helmet and chest protector.

  Riley stood to follow him out, but Jenna grabbed his wrist, stopping him. She stood on her toes, snaked her hand around to the nape of his neck and pulled him down to give him a kiss.

  “Thank you,” she managed through the lump in her throat.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and squeezed her hand.

  “You’re welcome. Let’s go watch Cam kick some butt.”

  “Let’s go!”

  Watching Cam race had been more exciting than Riley thought it would be. The kid was a natural. He had great instincts and no fear. His jumps were much more spectacular than the other kids. There was really no competition for him in this field. He won his race easily, sealing his championship. The trophy he was awarded was almost as tall as Riley but the look on his face was priceless. Riley couldn’t believe how big a fool Wade Blackwell was for missing this.

  “You were amazing, kid,” Riley told him as they were leaving the track.