A Maverick for Christmas

by Leanne Banks

  Keisha looked at Abby and lifted her chin defiantly. “You talk to her. She won’t listen to me.”

  “Katrina?” she said. “Would you like some water or hot chocolate? We can talk over there if you like,” she said.

  Katrina was a sixteen-year-old with bleached blond hair who did her best to make herself look tough with the black leather and kohl eyeliner she wore. Abby knew that beneath her tough exterior, the girl had a mother who was rarely at home and Katrina was struggling to stay away from a bad crowd at school. She’d been suspended for smoking in the girls’ room.

  “It’s no big deal,” Katrina said as she swiped her damp face with the back of her hand. “It’s my mother’s new boyfriend. He’s been staying over and he gets pissed when I spend too much time in the bathroom. I’ll just spend the night with one of my friends. He’ll cool down.”

  Abby didn’t like the sound of this at all. She handed Katrina a cup of hot chocolate. “Does your mother know?”

  Katrina shrugged, but her hand was shaking as she held the cup. “She’s too busy. She’s working three jobs. He says he was laid off,” she said, but her tone suggested she didn’t believe him.

  “How long has he been around?” Abby asked.

  “A couple months. He was okay in the beginning, but once he started staying overnight, he thought he could tell me what to do when my mom wasn’t around. He really likes his whiskey. Seems like he drinks a bottle every day.”

  “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this,” Abby said.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me. I can take care of myself.”

  Abby nodded. “If Keisha was in this situation, what advice would you give her?”

  Katrina gave a short laugh that almost sounded like a sob. “Keisha wouldn’t be in this situation. She would kick his butt out of the house.”

  “Okay. What about Shannon?”

  Katrina paused. “Shannon’s different.”

  “What would you tell her?”

  “As much as it sucks, I would tell her to rat on him. It’s such a pain to deal with child protective services. If only we were eighteen,” she said. “Everything would be easier.”

  “Not so much,” Abby said. “But that’s not the point. I want you to give an official report. I could do it, but I want you to care enough about yourself to do it for yourself.”

  Katrina sighed. “I’ll have to stay with some super strict people I don’t know,” she said.

  “Maybe not,” Abby said. “Plus it wouldn’t be forever. Do you really think your mother would keep this guy around if she knew he was hitting you?”

  Katrina shrugged. “She doesn’t want to deal with it.”

  “Which means you have to,” Abby said. “You deserve to live in a situation where you are not abused and neglected. If I’ve helped you learn anything, you’ve learned that.”

  “I don’t want to be with people who are always telling me what to do. You know I’m not used to that,” she said.

  “It’s temporary,” Abby said. “That’s what you have to remember. You’re a strong young woman and this is one of those times when you need to be your own best friend. I’ll go with you to make the report.”

  Katrina swore under her breath. “You really think I have to do it?”

  “You’ve been around here long enough to see what happened with other girls in this situation. You are a very smart, very capable young woman. I think if you end up with someone who wants to know where you are and when it may not be fun, but it will be a lot better than worrying about whether you’ll be beaten. And I repeat, it won’t be forever.”

  Katrina sighed. “Okay, okay. Can we do it now? Believe it or not, I don’t want to miss school tomorrow. I have an exam.”

  “Let me take a few more minutes with the other girls, then you and I can head out,” she said.

  Abby talked to the other girls while Keisha walked over to give Katrina a big hug and shook her finger at the girl. Abby felt a surge of warmth at how the girls were supporting each other.

  Hours later, Katrina was safely tucked in bed at her temporary foster parents’ home while her mother’s boyfriend was brought in for questioning and would soon be charged with assault on a minor. Before that, the drama had intensified: Katrina’s mother arrived in a sad state, apologizing profusely to her daughter and promising to do a better job.

  Although it was nearly 2:00 a.m. when Abby arrived home, she felt a sense of temporary relief that she knew Katrina was safe, and she was so proud of her ROOTS girl for choosing to stick up for herself. These girls came across as tough, but many of them had been abused, and one of Abby’s biggest goals had been to help them grow away from a victim mentality.

  Abby said a little prayer, and just before she drifted off to sleep, she thought of Cade. She wished all of those girls at ROOTS could find a man as strong and gentle as Cade.

  Cade met Abby at DJ’s for lunch on Wednesday. He arrived a couple minutes early and ordered coffee for himself. He didn’t mention that anyone would be joining him, but sat in one of the booths at the back of the restaurant. He saw her open the door and glance around, pushing her hair behind her ear. Instead of waving, he simply stood, and within an eye blink, she saw him and moved toward him.

  “What a surprise to see you here,” she said in a mocking voice and gave him a far-too-quick hug before she sat down. “Nice to see you,” she said.

  He drank in the sight of her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the slight pallor of her skin. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  “Why?” she asked. “Do I look like a hag?”

  “I would never call you a hag,” he said.

  “Well, something must have made you say that,” she said.

  The waitress showed up then. “Lunch ribs with coleslaw for me,” he said. “What about you?” he asked Abby.

  She gave a quick glance at the menu and shrugged. “Barbecue sandwich and fries. I need some grease.”

  “And to drink?” the waitress asked.

  “A chocolate milk shake,” she said.

  The waitress smiled. “Excellent choice. I’ll be back soon.”

  “So I look like a hag,” she said to Cade.

  “I did not say that. You just look very tired. Circles under your eyes, your skin is pale—”

  “I need to get better with concealer. I think it’s a required skill. Think about it. If you can hide dark circles, then no one will know that you spent the last night with a girl who’d been beat up by her mother’s boyfriend.”

  “Oh, my God. Who’s the girl?” Cade asked. “Who’s the guy? If you want me to talk to him—”

  She finally smiled, and it was like the sun broke through. “I knew you’d say something like that. That’s one of the reasons I—” She broke off. “One of the reasons I like you.”

  Warmth spread throughout his chest, but he tried to shrug it off. “Is the girl okay?”

  “For now,” Abby said. “I had to talk her into reporting the incident and the guy. I stayed with her thoughout the whole experience and the poor girl was put through the ringer. The temporary foster parents seem pretty nice if they can deal with her independence. She’s used to doing everything for herself, which means she’s not used to taking orders or filling anyone in on her whereabouts.”

  “That’s a rough way to live,” he said. “You do a good job with those kids at ROOTS.”

  “Sometimes I wonder if they do more for me. But I have to tell you when someone has been physically abused, it really draws the line about what needs to be done. Her sweet face was bruised all over. I was just glad I could be a tiny part of getting her to a safe place.”

  “I bet you’re a much bigger part than you think you are,” he said, wishing he could take her hands in his, pull her against him so she could relax for a little while.

  She shrugged. “What’s important is that Katrina is safe. I hope things will continue to be on the upswing for her. I’ll be watching, that’s for sure.”

&n
bsp; “Hmm,” he said.

  She shot him a sideways glance. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re always talking about me having a hero complex. I’m starting to wonder if you don’t have the same problem,” he said.

  Her lips tilted again. “Very funny,” she said.

  “I’m not being funny,” he said.

  “Sure you are,” she said and the waitress delivered their food. “Thanks,” she said to the woman.

  “My pleasure,” she said. “You two let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

  Both of them dug in to their food, creating a comfortable silence. Abby took a few sips of her milk shake. “Brain freeze,” she said, squeezing the bridge of her nose then shaking her head. “How have things been at work? Any more gorgeous reporters?”

  “No more reporters at all. It’s back to me and the wood. Sometimes I make art. Sometimes I make furniture. I do a lot of knocking, sawing and sanding, but no one needs to call the police because of it, thank goodness.”

  “That’s a funny thought,” she said. “You sawing on a piece of wood and a bunch of wood specialists come in and arrest you.”

  “Very funny,” he said, clearly disagreeing with her. “But the truth is it’s pretty satisfying. I’m sure it’s not as big as having a kid, but it’s been good for me. You really look like you could use a nap. If I were in charge, I would take you off to bed so you could get some rest.”

  “I’ll survive. I’m a young college student. We exist on adrenaline, right?”

  “If you say so,” he said. “I’d still like to drag you off and make you take a nap.”

  She paused a half beat, studying him. “I may not wake up for a long time if you did that, and today, I’ve still got a long ways to go.”

  “Don’t burn the candle at both ends too long. Mother Nature has a way of kicking you on your butt if you push her too far.”

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” she said and swallowed more of her shake.

  “Unfortunately,” he said in a wry voice.

  The waitress delivered the check and when Abby glanced up, Cade noticed she cringed and sorta hunched down. As soon as the waitress left, he studied her. “What’s up?”

  She lifted one shoulder, glanced over it then looked back at Cade. “Probably nothing. It just seems like this guy keeps showing up everywhere I am. It’s like he has a GPS on me or something.”

  His sense of protectiveness shot up inside him. “Who is he?”

  “He’s a server at the Hitching Post. He was flirting with my friends and me the night I was out with them, but I wasn’t all that impressed. I think he’s one of those guys who is attracted to a girl because she’s not interested. I think he sees it as a challenge.”

  “What’s his name?”

  Abby lifted her gaze as if she were searching her brain. “Um. D something. Daniel.”

  “Daniel what?”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “Is he the guy who was hitting on you the other night? Do you think he’s stalking you?” he asked, his gut tightening. He didn’t like the idea of anyone bothering Abby.

  She paused a half beat and shook her head again. “No, he can’t be. It’s just that he showed up at the university library and he doesn’t even go there, so that creeped me out a little. It’s probably nothing. I’m probably freaking out because I need sleep,” she joked. “Don’t worry.”

  But he would. If he didn’t worry, he would think about it. “Let me know if he pops up anywhere else during the next few days.”

  “It’s really nothing,” she said.

  “Then it won’t be a big deal for you to tell me if he shows up,” he said. “Deal?”

  Her lips lifted in a slow smile. “Deal.” She took another sip of her milk shake through the straw and gave a quick, soft sound of approval that reminded him of… No need thinking about that, he told himself.

  “Where are you headed? I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.

  “Are you sure you want to do that? People may talk,” she said, her eyes glinting with flirty challenge.

  “I’ll keep my hands to myself,” he said, barely containing a growl.

  “Well, darn,” Abby said and stood, and Cade was treated to the sight of the sexy sashay of her sweet, round bottom as they walked from DJ’s.

  Friday couldn’t come soon enough, Abby thought as she sat in the diner waiting to meet two classmates to discuss their presentation for class the following Tuesday. In charge of the Jung presentation, she filled out a few more note cards as she waited.

  “You never stop, do you?”

  Abby’s stomach knotted at the voice that was becoming all too familiar. She reluctantly glanced up. “Daniel. What a surprise,” she said.

  He smiled. “It’s not that big of a surprise. I know you like this place and you frequent it at night. You know I’d like us to spend more time together.”

  His smile was a little too practiced. It bothered her. “I hate to be blunt, but us spending more time together? It’s not going to happen.”

  “Sure it is. You’ll catch a break soon, be ready for some entertainment.” He bent his knees and braced himself on the table so his face was level with hers. “I’m more than ready to provide it.”

  “No,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to be even more blunt. It was as if he’d completely forgotten the other time she’d turned him down. “You don’t understand. I’m not interested in having a relationship with you.”

  He shrugged. “No problem. We can start out having fun.”

  Abby was tempted to scream, but she swallowed the urge. “You know how there are girls who say no and mean yes?” she asked. “I’m not one of those girls.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I’m on my way,” she said after Cade picked up his cell phone. “Can we have some sort of fabulous take-out for dinner?”

  “Such as?” Cade asked.

  “Lobster, filet mignon, asparagus, au gratin potatoes, chocolate mousse, followed by some time in a hot tub and maybe one of those martinis you got me at the Hitching Post. Nothing too complicated,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Right.”

  “Pizza and soda. I hardly ever drink soda, but tonight I want to be bad.”

  He laughed louder. “If soda is your version of bad…” he began.

  “Don’t mock me. At least I kept it simple.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “Stella will be glad to see you when you get here.”

  “Anyone else around there who’ll be happy to see me?” she asked.

  “Me,” he said.

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled into Cade’s driveway, stopping as she drew close to his porch. Normally, she would jump out of her car and bound up the steps, but she was seriously dragging tonight. She hoped she didn’t embarrass herself by falling asleep unexpectedly. It didn’t help that just as she left the community center this morning, Daniel had been waiting in front of the building. She hadn’t said anything to her friends yet, but she thought she was going to have to have a conversation with Char. Her friend probably was just trying to nudge her into giving in to a fun time with a hot guy. Char had no idea that Abby was involved with someone else.

  Frustration nicked at her. In one way, she chafed at the idea of keeping her relationship with Cade secret. In another way, she agreed with him that she didn’t want to endure anyone else’s thoughts or assessments of her and Cade. So, for now, she just had to be evasive. Not her best talent.

  Sighing, Abby got out of her car and stretched. The wind whipped over her, reminding her that it was still winter. The warm day last weekend had been a quick little treat and it was gone now. Bundling her collar upward, she climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.

  Stella barked, and within seconds Cade opened the door. “Well, look what the wind blew in. Very nice,” he said, tugging her inside and pressing his mouth against hers. “You’re cold,” he said.

 
; “That’s why I mentioned a hot tub,” she said and glanced behind him. “You have one in your back pocket?”

  “Very cute,” he said. “I don’t have a hot tub, but I have a tub filled with hot water. If you’re interested,” he said.

  She stared at him in disbelief. “Really? A tub? For me? A bath? Omigosh, I can’t believe it. An early Christmas gift.”

  “It’s just a tub,” he warned, guiding her toward the hall bathroom.

  “Haven’t you noticed how many sisters I have? Do you know how often I get to take a bath? Take a guess,” she said, staring at the steaming water. It was all she could do not to instantly strip and jump in the tub.

  “Not often. Go ahead. Get in. Just don’t drown,” he said.

  She smiled and squeezed his arm. “Oh, I won’t drown. I had an excellent swimming teacher.”

  He shook his head. “Shut up and take a bath.”

  “Really? Are you sure I don’t need to wait for the pizza?” she asked.

  He shook his head again. “No need,” he said. “But don’t fall asleep.”

  Abby shut the door behind him, stripped out of her clothes, twisted her hair into a knot on top of her head and put her foot in the steaming water. It was hot. Which made it perfect. She eased the rest of her body inside the tub and leaned her head against the back of the tub. Abby was in heaven. Her long showers rarely lasted over eight minutes, so soaking in Cade’s bathtub felt like the most indulgent luxury possible.

  She felt the muscles in her body relax, tendon by tendon. From some point in her brain, she thought she heard Cade’s doorbell ring. Pizza? she wondered, but couldn’t find it in herself to move more than a millimeter. Had her bones turned to butter? She hadn’t felt this relaxed in…how many years?

  Mentally playing a jazz song, she closed her eyes and just floated.

  Seconds later, she heard Cade knocking on the door and instantly sat up, startled. “What?” she asked, wondering when the water had turned cold. She shivered at the temperature. It had been so lovely and hot, like, two minutes ago.

  “Abby, I’m starting to get worried. Answer me. Are you conscious?” Cade asked from the other side of the door.