“I’ll charter a flight out this afternoon,” Winn replied to the person on the other end. “I’ll be in touch once wheels are down.”
Hailey stilled. Surely Winn wasn’t thinking of leaving the state? Had he forgotten he had a child to consider?
“Sorry for the interruption.” Winn pocketed the phone and flashed Hailey a rueful smile. “Looks like we have a change in plans.”
Winn reached down and ruffled his son’s hair. “We’re not going to be able to ride horses today, sport. I need to take a quick trip out of town.”
“You’re leaving?” Though Cam had flashed accusing eyes at Winn only moments before, there was a plaintive quality to the boy’s voice.
“Just a day or two.” He offered the boy a reassuring smile. To his credit, Winn appeared truly regretful.
“Can I come with you?” Cam asked.
“Not this time.”
Other than a trembling bottom lip, the boy stood absolutely motionless. “Who will watch me?”
Winn’s gaze shifted to Hailey and he flashed a winning smile. “I’m hoping Miss Hailey will let you bunk with her and Bandit while I’m gone.”
Hailey could almost see the wheels turning in the boy’s head. As much as she liked Cam and wanted to help, the upcoming week was a busy one for her. Still, she might be able to make it work. She was flipping through her mental calendar, when Winn shrugged.
“If that doesn’t work, my dad will keep you.” Winn clapped a hand on Cam’s shoulder.
Hailey was acquainted with Winn’s self-centered father. The rancher made it his mission to steamroll anyone who stepped in his way. The only saving grace was his housekeeper, Elena. She was a wonderful woman who’d probably be the one to watch the boy. Hailey couldn’t see Jim taking time from his “busy” schedule to babysit.
But Cam hadn’t met Elena. The boy had barely set foot in Jackson Hole and if Hailey didn’t agree to watch him, he’d be turned over to a stranger.
Cam’s face blanched. “I—I don’t know your dad.”
“He’s a nice man.” Hailey forced a smile, hoping God wouldn’t strike her dead for lying. “But you can meet him another time.”
She turned to Winn. “Cam can hang with me and Bandit while you’re out of town.”
“Good.” Relief crossed Winn’s face. “Thanks.”
He turned to his son. “I’ll call as soon as I reach the hotel.”
Cam stayed frozen in place while his dad went next door to pack.
Hailey’s heart lurched when she saw Cam blinking back tears. She slung an arm around his shoulders. “Looks like it’s you and me, buddy. What say we forget the picnic? Let’s ride horses, then grab some pizza.”
* * *
Though Winn had pushed through the business at hand, it was three days, not two, before he was able to return home. He’d called every night, eager to hear about his son’s day. Cam always handed the phone over to Hailey after a minute or two.
Hailey’s updates were filled with humorous anecdotes. It was obvious she’d been keeping Cam busy and having fun doing it.
Since Winn had made sure to let them know when to expect him back, he was surprised when Hailey came to his condo without Cam.
She was dressed casually in jeans and a blue-and-white-checkered shirt rolled up to her elbows, her bright smile a breath of fresh air. Setting his suitcase and briefcase on the floor, Winn dropped wearily into the closest chair. “Where’s Cam?”
“At Travis and Mary Karen Fisher’s,” Hailey said, referring to a couple with five children, four of them rambunctious boys. “It’s Logan’s birthday. They invited Cam to his party. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
“No. I don’t.” Winn pulled his brows together. Travis’s herd of curly-haired boys blended together in his mind. “Logan?”
“Their middle son.” Hailey gestured toward the kitchen. “Can I get you some coffee? Then I’d like for us to talk.”
Though her tone was light, something told him he might not like what she had to say. “Thanks, but I need something stronger.”
Rising to his feet, Winn pulled out a bottle of whiskey from a liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. She shook her head when he lifted the bottle.
“How’s Cam today?” He brought the glass to his lips. She wanted to talk so they’d talk. But he had a few questions of his own first. “He barely said two words to me on the phone.”
“I tried to prompt him to talk but he clammed up. I think—” she paused and spoke slowly as if choosing her words carefully “—having you leave so soon after he got here was difficult for him.”
Though her tone held no censure, Winn stiffened. He hated that he’d caused the boy pain. Then he thought of the delicate business negotiations he’d handled in South Carolina. A lot of money had been at stake. Not to mention his standing at GPG Investment. He took a long drink. “Couldn’t be helped,” he muttered.
Hailey’s eyes darkened, reminding him of the turbulent seas off the Charleston coast last night. When she spoke, her voice was soft, so faint Winn had to strain to hear. “We always have a choice.”
It was an arguable point, but Winn wasn’t in the mood for a debate. Damn, he was exhausted. “This was a crisis.”
“Your son needed you.” Tiny lines bracketed her eyes and he realized suddenly she looked as tired as he felt. He wondered if Cam had kept her up at night, crying for his mother.
Winn felt a ripple of unease. “I knew I could trust him with you.”
“What about your father?” Hailey’s brow arched. “Would you have trusted Cam with him?”
Winn hesitated. He was under no illusions concerning his father. But he trusted Elena and the last-minute business trip had left him few options.
“If I hadn’t agreed to watch Cam, you’d have sent him to a strange place only days after his mother’s funeral.”
Winn’s temper spiked. “If you had other obligations or didn’t want to do keep him, you should have said no.”
Hailey expelled a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her wavy blond hair. If not for the fatigue in her eyes, she could be a college girl ready for a day of fun.
“Cam is struggling, Winn.” She met his gaze, her eyes steady and very blue. “He needs his dad. Not me. Certainly not some stranger.”
“Thanks for giving me the benefit of your vast parenting experience.” He knew his tone was slightly mocking but she’d hit a nerve.
Instead of snapping back, her gaze searched his, the lines of worry deepening. “You love Cam. I don’t doubt that for a second. I see it in the way you look at him and the kindness you show him. You have it in you to be a fabulous dad. But the boy is hurting and he doesn’t trust you. As hard as this may seem, you have to let him come to you first.”
* * *
For a Saturday morning, the bike trail was surprisingly deserted. Winn had borrowed a couple of Treks hoping to find a way to connect with his son. He’d told his superiors at GPG Investment he was taking a few days off.
Though it had been only two years since he’d shared custody of Cam, he’d forgotten the time it took to care for a child. Not to mention how frustrating it was to live with a boy who seemed determined to keep him at arm’s length.
As they pedaled down the concrete trail at the base of the mountains, Winn’s mind kept returning to Hailey’s comment about him needing to act like a dad and make Cam a priority.
He thought of the sitter he’d lined up for tonight. He hadn’t wanted to leave Cam so soon after he’d returned from South Carolina, but he’d accepted Clive’s invitation to his daughter’s wedding months before. It didn’t matter that it was only a social occasion. Truth was, more business was done on golf courses and at parties than in boardrooms and offices.
Tonight would be a chance for Elena and Cam to become ac
quainted. Winn hadn’t been able to bring himself to ask Hailey to watch his son.
Winn stifled a curse. Things had never been this difficult in Atlanta. Recalling those days, he realized part of the reason they’d gone without a hitch was because Vanessa had always been there. Even on the days he was supposed to have Cam, if he had a sudden business trip or an unexpected meeting, Vanessa had been happy to step in.
Unlike Hailey, Vanessa had never brought up the issue of his priorities. Of course, she’d also been Cam’s mother.
Winn cast a sideways glance at the skinny child riding beside him on the path. With his jeans, graphic T-shirt and ball cap, Cam looked like any eight-year-old enjoying a sunny summer day with his dad. But Cam had been through a lot in his young life. More than most adults. No wonder he stuttered.
The realization saddened Winn. He’d recently made an appointment with Kate Dennes, a local pediatrician and friend. He hoped she’d give him some tips on how to reach his child, since she had a daughter about the same age.
“What do you think of the mountains?” he asked Cam, suddenly impatient with the silence between them.
“B-big.” The boy slanted a sideways glance. “C-can I see Bandit today?”
It wasn’t the first time Cam had asked about the dog. But Hailey and the animal hadn’t been around much the past two days.
Winn wondered if she’d just been busy or if Hailey was avoiding him. Because of her concern over his Charleston trip, he hadn’t asked what she’d decided about watching Cam full-time.
He needed to get her answer soon. If she said no, he might have to “borrow” Elena until he found the right person. Considering how proprietary his father was about his housekeeper, having her watch Cam for even a short time could be problematic.
“C-can Bandit c-come over and play?” Cam pressed when Winn didn’t answer.
“When we get home, I’ll call Hailey and see.”
The quicksilver smile the boy flashed warmed his heart as they turned the bikes in the direction of the car. Winn felt his own spirits lift.
He’d missed seeing Hailey the past two days. Unfortunately, he knew his neighbor wouldn’t be pleased when she learned he was leaving Cam with a sitter for the evening. He could almost hear her asking why he didn’t take the child with him.
Winn cast a sideways glance at the boy. Though he wasn’t one to mix business with pleasure, he knew there would be children in attendance. This morning when he’d run into Cole at Hill of Beans, the entrepreneur had mentioned he and his wife would be at the festivities tonight, along with their two children.
“Hey, Cam,” Winn said when they neared the parking lot where the truck he’d borrowed from his father sat. It was shiny and black and so big it might as well have been a tank. But that was his dad; the man never did anything in half measures. “Interested in attending a party with your old man tonight?”
Chapter Six
The ceremony had been beautiful, with miles of white tulle, hundreds of fragrant flowers and a bright summer sky. Cassidy and Daffy had worked their magic on the bride and her eight attendants’ hair; Hailey had been in charge of makeup.
It had been an enjoyable day, laughing and talking with women who were close to her own age, while enhancing their natural beauty. Yet, even as Hailey had consulted on colors that best suited each girl and applied mascara, eye shadow and foundation, her thoughts kept returning to Winn and Cam.
Her neighbors remained on her mind even as Hailey strolled to the reception tent with Cassidy after all the pictures had been taken. Touching up hair and makeup during the postceremony wedding pics had been part of the salon package. She wondered how Winn was handling being a father again, and if Cam had begun to feel more comfortable around the man who he believed abandoned him.
A niggle of guilt tugged at her. Had she been too unfeeling with Winn? Had she not tried hard enough to see the situation from his perspective?
“It was nice of the Finsters to invite us to the reception.” Cassidy grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. She handed one to Hailey, keeping one for herself.
Hailey took a sip from the flute. “Why did Daffy rush off?”
“Our Daffodil loves people but not crowds.” Cassidy’s gaze slid around the large tent with the shiny wooden dance floor. Men in dark suits and women in cocktail dresses laughed and danced and drank champagne.
“I love parties.” Hailey stood with Cassidy at the edge of the tent, surveying the crowd as they talked over the music and din of other conversations.
“These are your peeps,” Cassidy mused aloud. “You and Susan, our beautiful bride, graduated together.”
Hailey considered reminding Cassidy she’d graduated from Jackson Hole High, too. “Sue raved about her hair.”
“She seemed jazzed with her makeup, as well,” Cassidy said smugly. “You and I, chickadee, are a Zumba of a team. We’re going to make boatloads of moola.”
Zumba of a team?
Surely Cass realized Zumba was an aerobic-fitness program not an adjective. But knowing Cassidy, she was well aware of that fact. Knew and didn’t care. The woman always marched to her own drummer. Hailey grinned. “It’s cool to get paid while doing something I enjoy.”
“Grapevine says Winn Ferris has a kid.”
Hailey was surprised she didn’t have whiplash. This, she realized, was what the hairstylist really wanted to discuss. She wondered why it had taken so long for her friend to bring up the subject. Of course, this was the first opportunity they’d had to talk privately since they’d arrived at the ranch.
They’d been too busy doing hair and makeup and chatting with the wedding party to have any kind of personal conversation. Despite her outlandish style—today Cassidy wore pink pants so tight they looked painted on, coupled with a canary-yellow top complete with feathers—she was a businesswoman first.
“Hel-lo,” Cassidy said when Hailey took another sip of champagne. “I spoke, now it’s your turn. That’s how this conversation thingy works.”
“Yes, Winn has a little boy,” Hailey confirmed. “He’s eight. His name is Cameron. He’s a real cutie.”
“The mother?”
“She died recently in a boating accident.”
“Don’t you find it interesting he never mentioned having a kid?” Cassidy’s finely tweezed eyebrow arched behind her yellow-and-black cat’s-eye glasses.
Though Hailey liked to gossip as much anyone, she found herself seized with an urge to change the subject. “I suppose so. But—”
“Why do you think he clammed?”
Cassidy was like a dog with a bone. Not just any dog. Bandit would easily give up his bone if she asked nicely. Cass was like a pit bull. Her jaws were clamped tightly around this bone, er, topic. Hailey would have to come up with something very interesting to distract Cassidy.
Hailey glanced around and tossed a Hail Mary. “Oh, look, there’s Liam Gallagher. We dated back in high school. I heard he was back in town.”
Cassidy turned her head and followed Hailey’s gaze. She wasn’t certain if Cass would remember Liam from Jackson Hole High, but the hairstylist’s gaze pinned him almost immediately.
Tall and lean, with his wavy hair slightly tousled, Liam wore a navy suit with a crisp white shirt and red tie. Hugging his muscular shoulders and tapering down to his lean waist, the fit was incredible. The past decade had been good to him.
As a boy he’d been all arms and legs, with an angular face that had been more interesting than handsome. In the years Liam had been gone from Jackson Hole, he’d turned from boy to man. There were muscles beneath that suit, and the features of the angular face were now chiseled and all male.
Cassidy gave a low whistle. “Like a fine wine...”
The hairstylist’s voice trailed off as she continued to stare.
“
He’s a real hottie, right?” Hailey said, sensing the bone loosening from Cassidy’s slack jaws.
“Is he...single?”
“Did you just lick your lips?”
Cassidy waved her hand in an impatient gesture. “Answer the question.”
“I believe so,” Hailey said slowly. “Mrs. Samuelson keeps in contact with his mother, Janice. Apparently, his mom was upset he’d recently broken it off with Ms. Perfect.”
“Dorianna always has the inside scoop,” Cassidy said. “I look forward to her visits to the salon for that reason alone.”
“Did I tell you she complained to my landlord about Bandit’s barking?”
“Hold that thought.” Cassidy grabbed her arm and Hailey found herself being hauled through the crowd in the direction of her former crush. “It’s time you and I got reacquainted with Luscious Liam.”
* * *
Conscious of the child at his side, Winn cut his conversation with Merle Bach short. The portly white-haired gentleman, who bore a distinct resemblance to Santa Claus, might appear jovial, but beneath that genial smile was a serpent who could strike at any time. Still, as a friend of Winn’s father and a member of the board of trustees, Merle could be counted on to do whatever he could to push Winn’s golf-course development through the approval process.
Winn slanted a glance at Cam, who was silently surveying the throng of people. Remembering how he’d hated the suits his father had made him wear from a young age, Winn had picked out a pair of khakis and a madras plaid shirt for his son to wear this evening.
Two long years separated them now. The closeness they’d once shared seemed out of reach. He cursed Brandon under his breath.
Cam’s biological father hadn’t wanted Winn to play any part in Cam’s life. Insecure, yet at the same time supremely arrogant, Brandon decreed a boy only needed one father and that would be him.
When Brandon told Winn he should be relieved to be off the hook, Winn knew the man would never understand.
Ready, Set, I Do! (Rx for Love) Page 6
