Everyday Hero

by Jo Leigh

  She reached the kitchen. T.J. looked up at her. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak.

  “Excuse me,” she said, then turned on her heel. She couldn’t get back to her room fast enough. Once there, she slammed the door behind her and went back to her dresser. Plucking a handful of tissues from the box and the jar of cold cream, she attacked her makeup, wiping it away as quickly as she could.

  “What were you thinking?” she said to the mirror. “Are you out of your mind?” She rubbed harder, practically taking a layer of skin off with the cosmetics. When she was through, she looked a little pink, but not, thank God, from rouge. Now she was Kate. Not some prissy little princess. If he thought for one moment that she was going to change anything for him...

  Well, he’d just better not, that’s all.

  “I don’t know nothing about changing no diapers.”

  T.J. struggled not to laugh at the look on his younger brother’s face. His terror was real—and justified, in T.J.’s opinion. Babies were a form of life that was necessary but best left to the experts. Bobby was no expert.

  “It’s easy,” Kate said, walking to the large changing table against the back wall. “Just use a little common sense and be gentle. Nothing’s going to hurt your.”

  Bobby looked at her through narrowed eyes. He’d been unpleasantly awake for about fifteen minutes, refusing coffee and conversation. When Kate had told him that he was to help Molly with the littlest children, he almost made a run for it.

  “You can’t make me do this,” Bobby said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I got rights, you know.”

  Kate smiled at him. It was the kind of smile one tends to see on prison wardens and math teachers. “But you do have to do this. Or go to jail.”

  “Maybe I want to go to jail.”

  “Okay.” Kate walked past Bobby toward the door.

  T.J. couldn’t decide where to look. Bobby was pretty entertaining, what with his dilemma playing across his face like a silent movie, or Kate, who looked sensational in her running shorts and tucked-in T-shirt. Kate won. He’d seen Bobby before.

  “Hold it,” Bobby said, just as Kate reached the door. “Why can’t I work somewhere else?”

  Kate stopped and turned. “Because I want you to work here.”

  “Who died and made you God?”

  “The court. You have one hundred and fifty hours of community service to do in little over a month. If you don’t do it, you’re going to jail for a long time. It won’t be pleasant there. Large men will ask you to dance, if you get my drift. So, I recommend that you stop whining about this and listen up. I’m not going to go over this twice.”

  Bobby turned his gaze from Kate to T.J. All the blame in the world was in his eyes. “You put her up to this, didn’t you? You thought it would be funny, huh?”

  “Me?” T.J. settled his back against the plastic jungle gym that took up most of the left corner of the room. “Nope. I just work here.”

  “That’s right,” Kate said. “He’ll get his assignments next. Now, though, I’m going to show you how to change a diaper. Then we’ll show you how to work the washer and dryer. By that time, the kids will start arriving. Molly will be in charge and you’ll do exactly as she says with no guff. Is that clear?”

  T.J. could see Bobby’s jaw grind from across the room. Finally, though, he nodded. Kate went back to the changing table and picked up a realistic-looking doll. She proceeded with the lesson, but T.J. preferred to watch the teacher.

  Years ago, there had been a comic book that T.J. had liked, even though he didn’t dare read it in public. The main character was a woman, a strong, sexy woman who dispatched criminals with an ease that would make Superman weep. Kate reminded him of that character. It wasn’t just her physical attributes, although God knows they were legendary in their own right, but her attitude. He’d seen it that first day, when she’d cornered Danny Arcola and he’d seen it again in court yesterday. Her confidence was a tangible thing and it was easy to see how she’d come to gain the respect of not only the kids she worked with, but the police and the judicial officers.

  Bobby couldn’t be in better hands. As a matter of fact, T.J. wondered what part he was going to play in this soap opera. Maybe he’d overreacted about this whole thing. Bobby didn’t need him and his presence here was likely to cause more damage than good.

  Molly arrived and joined Kate and Bobby at the changing table. She’d donned a pair of cutoff jeans and a green army T-shirt. He hadn’t seen her figure in that oversized robe of hers, but now he noticed that she was exceedingly buffed. Her arm and leg muscles were clearly defined. Not too much bulk, but a hell of a lot of strength there. What was it with the women in this place?

  “Molly, you can show him the rest, can’t you?” Kate asked.

  “You got it, boss. No problemo.”

  Kate touched Bobby lightly on the arm and he jerked away. She didn’t make a big thing of it. She just left him with Molly and walked over to the jungle gym.

  “You’re really going to trust him with babies?” T.J. asked.

  “Not right away. He’ll be too busy washing clothes and chasing the toddlers. Molly’s awfully good with the kids. And she can keep him in line.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  Kate nodded toward the door. “Come on. We’ve got to get you ready. The troops will start arriving soon.”

  They walked together from the nursery through the grade school area where Peter was setting out clay on long tables, to the big room.

  “You were pretty good with him in there,” T.J. said.

  “It was nothing.” She dismissed the compliment with a wave of her hand. “I usually start off the morning with a run. We do about five miles.” She looked him over, frowning at his white button-down shirt and pressed jeans, stopping completely at his boots. “Those won’t do. You’re going to need running shoes, shorts and comfortable clothes. T-shirts, old jeans. That kind of thing. Do you have them?”

  He nodded. “At the motel.”

  She started walking again, moving quickly toward her office. “Can you be back here in fifteen minutes?”

  “Whoa, hold on there, skipper. We’re moving a bit too fast.”

  “If you think this is fast, wait till the place is packed with kids.”

  He reached over and grabbed her arm. The second he touched her she stopped. Her gaze went to his hand then, slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

  The effect was unsettling, to say the least. There was fear there, in those green eyes. He could see she wanted to bolt, to get away from him and his touch. It didn’t make sense. Not coming from the woman he’d seen in action. Why would she be afraid of him?

  Chapter 4

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly.

  She broke contact, turning her head away and easing out of his grip. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Sure you do.”

  “Look, I’ve got work to do. Are you going to go get changed or not?”

  Her voice seemed higher, faster. What was going on here? Was it the touch? Was she that skittish?

  “We need to talk,” he said. “How about we go to your office?”

  Before he even finished the sentence, she was moving, fast. He followed, curious as hell about her. When she got to her office, she went behind her desk and sat down. He thought about sitting on the small plastic chair across from her, but changed his mind. He stood to the side, forcing her to turn to look at him.

  “You wanted to talk,” she said. “So talk.”

  He waited a few beats, trying hard to catch her eye. She wouldn’t look at him. “What’s all this?”

  “I don’t know. This is your meeting, remember?”

  “I don’t mean about that.” He took a step closer to her. “I mean about us.”

  “Us? There is no us.”

  “Sure there is. There’s me....” He moved closer still, wondering when she was going to give in and push her chair back. “And there’s you.�
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  She didn’t push back. She stood. As tall as she could, right in his face. “Knock it off, Casanova. I’m not one of your Hollywood bimbos. That kind of talk doesn’t wash with me.”

  They were only inches apart. Close enough for trouble. “What kind of talk is that?” He leaned in even farther. He could hear her sharp intake of breath.

  “Back off. Or—”

  “Or what?” he whispered.

  Kate put her hands on his chest, intending to push him away. But when her fingers made contact with the warmth of his skin beneath the shirt, she couldn’t move at all.

  “The kids will be arriving any second,” she said, cringing at the breathy quality in her voice. She cleared her throat. Her hands, seemingly with a mind of their own, lingered on his chest for a second and instead of sensibly dropping to her side, trailed down his shirtfront, feeling the rough texture of hair and the hard muscle beneath the fabric.

  “They can play by themselves for a few minutes.”

  “The door is locked.”

  “It’s nice out.”

  “Don’t do this.”

  “Do what?”

  She couldn’t seem to look away. His brown eyes held her steady and close. Heat swelled up from her solar plexus until she felt her cheeks burn, and still she stared into those eyes. She had never been more aware of her own heartbeat.

  Then he touched her. With his fingertips, on her arm. She jerked back, out of his reach. Her legs hit the chair, sending it scooting back toward the wall. She turned and put her hand on her desk to steady herself.

  His low chuckle chased all her embarrassment out the window, leaving plenty of room for pure, unadulterated anger. She spun around again and this time there was no hypnotic spell or whatever the hell that had been. He was just a guy with an attitude, in her territory.

  “Back off, hotshot,” she said. “And don’t try that little gimmick again. Next time, I’ll flatten you. Don’t think I can’t.”

  T.J. held up both hands. “Hold on there, Red. I’m innocent. I didn’t move a muscle.”

  She took another step back, preferring the distance between them to be as great as she could make it. “There’s you,” she said, mimicking his low, seductive tone, “and there’s me.” She picked up her clipboard and brought it to her chest. “Is that how you talk to your captain?”

  He grinned. “The rumors about that are completely untrue. We’re just good friends.”

  “If you want to be friends with me, you’ll keep your distance. Got it?”

  He nodded. “It’s a shame, though. You would’ve had a lot of fun.”

  “I’ll live.” She turned her back on him to retrieve her chair, feeling as though she’d just escaped from a head-on collision. What she couldn’t understand was her own reaction. What had happened to her? She’d put that part of her life away for good, hadn’t she? No batting eyelashes or heavy breathing for this babe. The decision had been a sound one and she wasn’t going to let brown eyes over there change one thing.

  She sat and looked at the day’s schedule. “After the run, I want to set up teams for basketball. You’ll be a captain and so will I. Do me a favor, don’t let your glands pick your team. This isn’t so much about winning as it is about sportsmanship, so I want everyone to play. Girls, boys, nerds. It doesn’t make a difference. They all get a chance.”

  “And what makes you think my glands would have any part of this?”

  She sighed. “You and I both know that when the testosterone gets moving, winning is all you men can see.”

  “Okay, fine. Does that mean when you have PMS, we don’t play?”

  “What?” How dare—” She stopped. ”Touché. I apologize. It wasn’t fair of me to make that assumption.”

  “Damn straight.”

  She smiled, but only a little. It wouldn’t do to let him get a swelled head. “We can go over the rest of the schedule later. If you hurry, you can get changed and back here before we run. If you’re late, we’re going without you.”

  T.J. walked to the other side of her office and picked up the basketball. “I did want to talk, you know. About Bobby.”

  She leaned back, glad to have the conversation move to something completely safe. “Shoot.”

  “I think it might be a mistake. Having me here, I mean. I think it’s great that you have him in the nursery. It’ll be good for him. He’ll have to be responsible and he’ll have to put his own feelings aside.”

  “But...?”

  He tossed the basketball lightly into the air and caught it. “Don’t you think he’ll mellow out a lot faster if I’m not here?”

  “Probably.”

  “Exactly. So while it’s been swell—”

  “He’ll mellow out, all right. He might even come to like it here. But he’ll keep on hating you. You’ll lose him forever. Is that what you want?”

  His hands stilled on the ball, but he wouldn’t look at her. “Can I tell you a secret? Now that we’re such good friends and all?”

  “I’m listening.”

  T.J. put the ball down and moved back to the desk. He sat on the edge and folded his arms across his chest. He looked at her, but not in the eye. He focused instead on her mouth. Even that seemed to be too much. He turned away. “I don’t know what to do. I realized that last night. I don’t know what to say, or how to behave.”

  “Just be yourself.”

  He gave her a curt laugh. “Thanks very much, Ms. Manners. That clears everything up.”

  “I wasn’t being flippant. I meant it. You don’t have to do anything special. What you’re forgetting is that he already loves you. Your job now is to show him you’ll be there for him. Running away is the worst thing you could do. He needs to know that no matter what he’s like, you’ll stick around. It won’t be easy. He’s going to test you every way to Sunday. But it’ll be worth it in the end.”

  “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

  “I am.” She stood up and walked to the side of her desk so she could face him. “I’m very good at what I do. I’ve seen kids like Bobby before. Scared, alone, unsure of who they are and what they want. They’re ripe pickings for gang members who offer them solidarity and a place to belong. I can’t stop you from leaving, but if you do, Danny’s going to win. He’s going to be the big brother Bobby needs.”

  T.J. didn’t speak for a long while. He studied her face, but she felt no desire to look away this time. It wasn’t a predatory stare, just curious.

  “You know what? I think I do want to become friends with you.”

  The flutter in her stomach caught her off guard. “I’m thrilled beyond measure,” she said, making sure the sarcasm was thick. “Now get the hell out of here. We’ve got a job to do.”

  He stood and once again the nearness of him seemed to draw the breath right out of her body. But then he stepped away and went to the door.

  “I’ll be back in ten,” he said.

  “Do that.”

  “Then, after our run, I’ll show you how the game of basketball is supposed to be played.”

  “Give me a break.”

  His laughter lingered after he’d closed the door. Encouraging him to stay was the right thing to do for Bobby. But that meant she was in for a very rough five weeks. Being near T.J. was going to be a lot tougher than any basketball game she’d ever played. And she wasn’t even sure which side she was rooting for.

  By the time T.J. got back, the center was packed. He thought he recognized some of the kids from his last visit, but he wasn’t positive. He didn’t see Danny and for that he was grateful. That meeting was not going to be fun. He still remembered the look of unbridled hatred and, more than that, the certainty that Arcola was carrying a weapon. It was bad enough that T.J. was here against his brother’s wishes— if Danny and his posse wanted to, they could cause some real trouble.

  He hadn’t reached Kate’s office yet when he heard her whistle. The activity around him came to a faltering halt and all eyes went to the front door. />
  Kate, head and shoulders above the crowd, waved her clipboard in the air. “Everybody who’s going to run, line up here,” she yelled.

  The noise picked up immediately as kids shuffled around to either get in line or find other things to occupy their time. He heard the crack of billiard balls at the break, the high laughter of young girls, the slap of running shoes on the paneled floors. For some reason, the cacophony made him feel good—hopeful. He made his way through the crowd, mindful of all the stares and comments he incurred. Twice he heard “nice butt,” and at least one appreciative whistle.

  “Just in time,” Kate said, as he reached her side.

  “Nice crowd.”

  Kate looked him over and nodded at his gym shorts, T-shirt and running shoes. “Better,” she said. “We run for five miles. Can you keep up?”

  “I’ll struggle along.”

  She turned from him and faced the line of kids. “Okay, team. Everybody put on sunblock? Let’s go.”

  “Who’s going to stay here to supervise?” he asked.

  She pointed to a teenage girl with long, almost white hair. “Jeanne.” Then he followed her outstretched finger to the other side of the room, right by the pool tables. “And Joanne.”

  His brow went up when he saw an exact duplicate of the first girl. “Twins?”

  She turned to him with a look that screamed moron. “No. They’re just good friends.”

  He gave her a dazzling smile. “Don’t try to pull any fast ones on me. I’m a brilliant detective, remember?”

  “Right, Sherlock.” She shook her head, then hooked her clipboard on a nail by the door and headed out.

  They started slowly, with a very gentle pace to warm up. The sound of twenty pairs of feet coming up behind him was disconcerting at first, but soon he was too busy concentrating on his own gait, and the woman next to him, to care.

  She ran beautifully, like a Thoroughbred. Head high, shoulders back, easy long strides. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her. His gaze moved down to her chest and the soft bounce of her breasts was as intoxicating as a bottle of champagne.