The Summer of No Attachments by Lori Foster

Chapter Twelve

Holding her phone in her left hand, ignoring the pain in her right, Ivey thumbed in a text to Corbin.

Be late tonight. Eat without me.

He immediately replied with: What’s wrong?

So astute. Ivey smiled and returned, Explan latr. Blast. She didn’t see the typos until she’d already hit Send. Texting left-handed wasn’t easy. Be a few hrs yet.

OK but if you need me let me know.

Will do.Ivey sighed happily. It was so nice having someone worry about her. Not that Corbin needed more worries, and not that she needed that from him. He cared, and that’s what she hugged to her heart.

The doctor stitching her arm glanced at her. “I take it everything is okay?”

From a chair in the small exam room, her friend, Ember Somerset, laughed. “She has a hot new boyfriend. Trust me, everything is fine.”

“Ah,” the doctor said. “Do tell.”

“He moved here back in May,” Ivey explained. Dr. Moore had stitched her up more than once, but this was the first time Ivey’d had an interesting story to share while she did. “He’s gorgeous. Funny and sweet. And he has the most adorable little son.”

Dr. Moore lifted one finely arched eyebrow. “Gorgeous, huh?”

“She’s smitten,” Ember pointed out. “But he really is easy on the eyes. Don’t tell Mike I said that, though.”

“Mike knows you aren’t blind,” Dr. Moore said. She tied off the last stitch, then sat back. “Done. That was quite the bite this time.”

“It was quite the dog.” Ivey exchanged a look with Ember. She and her sister, Autumn, ran an animal rescue farm. They had every type of animal from dogs and cats to cows and sheep and even a turkey and chickens. It was heartbreaking, sometimes backbreaking work, and yes, occasionally, in the course of assisting them with the medical needs of the animals, Ivey got bit. As much as the sisters did to help animals, donating her time as a vet was the least Ivey could do.

“He’d been mistreated,” Ivey explained, “so he didn’t trust us. He needed his own stitches, along with shots and a flea treatment.” And a lot of love. “He’ll be okay, though.” The sisters would see to that.

“He bit Ivey before we could get him subdued. I think he was in pain, but by the time we left, he was already calming down.”

“Autumn will coddle him, and soon he’ll feel all the love.”

“Yes.” Ember tried and failed to remove her scowl. “If I ever find the bastard who hurt him, I’ll...” She let the threat hang out there, maybe because she couldn’t think of anything dire enough.

Ivey said again, more gently and with assurance, “He’ll be okay.”

Ember nodded. “We’ll make sure of it.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Dr. Moore said. “I admire you both so much, and of course, Autumn, too.”

“And Mike and Tash,” Ember added. “They do a lot to help.”

Mike, who’d already been a handyman at the rescue, was now married to Ember, and Tash was married to Autumn. Together, they made the running of the farm nearly seamless.

Glancing down at her blood-splattered clothes, Ivey wrinkled her nose. She’d need to shower and change before going to Corbin, otherwise she might scare Justin. And thinking of the boy...

“Tash’s little girl has a real gift with animals, too.” Ivey made the decision that she should introduce Justin and Sadie. The two kids had a lot in common.

“You’re all amazing,” the doctor said. “But I hope you start being a little more careful.” She wrapped the wound, gave Ivey instructions for care and told her to return in seven days to have the stitches removed.

On their way out of the hospital, Ivey called Hope to make certain she’d gotten the clinic closed up for the day. Since Hope had handled everything without issue, Ivey put her phone away and glanced at Ember. “You really didn’t have to drive me. I could have managed just fine.”

“Ha!” Ember got into her truck and kicked on the air-conditioning. When Ivey slid into her seat, Ember reached past her for the seat belt and buckled her in.

Giving her a wry look, Ivey muttered, “Thanks, Mom.”

Ignoring that, Ember got them on their way. “You were bleeding a lot, Ivey. And you got bit helping us. Of course I drove you.” She frowned. “Does it hurt?”

At first, Ivey had been too worried about the dog to really feel the bite. Once she’d gotten control of the situation, yes, it had hurt. Luckily, the doctor had numbed her arm before the scrubbing began. “Superficial stuff, that’s all. A few stitches fixed it. Besides, it’s my forearm, not my hand, which means I’d have had no problem driving.”

“Still,” Ember insisted. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off at Corbin’s house? Mike and Tash could bring your car to you.” She waggled her eyebrows. “I’m betting your new guy would give you all kinds of delicious pampering.”

“Nope, I’m fine.” Ivey held up her arm. “Good as new. Besides, I want to go home to wash up and change clothes. Corbin’s son, Justin, is super into horror flicks and monsters. If he sees me covered in blood, his creative little mind might think the worst.”

“All right. If you need anything, though, please let me know. Autumn and I appreciate you so very much. We trust you, Ivey, not only with the health care of the animals, but with their sometimes wounded personalities. You’re so good to them, and that’s a huge thing to us. So thank you.”

Such a kind compliment coming after a truly tumultuous day caused Ivey to well up. “Enough of that now,” she groused playfully. “You’ll get me bawling, and puffy eyes and a stuffy nose will only make me miserable.”

Ember gave her a grin. “Okay, so here’s a subject change. Tell me more about your hunk.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “I’ve been so curious.”

Oh good. That was a topic guaranteed to brighten her mood.

It was past suppertime when Ivey finally got to Corbin’s house. All seemed quiet, but as she got out of the car, she heard a very distinct, “Psst.”

Glancing around, she saw no one. With a frown, she started forward again, and...

“Psst.” There it was again!

Hands on her hips, she surveyed the yard and the woods beyond. A chuckle mixed with a giggle brought her gaze to the tree house. Aha! Walking over to the massive tree, she looked up. “I’ve found you.”

A quick shuffling of feet, then a hushing sound, got her grinning. Yes, her arm hurt. Already the bruising had spread up to her elbow and down the back of her hand. Didn’t matter.

Putting her purse strap around her neck and shoulder, she carefully went up the unevenly spaced rungs.

Corbin and Justin had done an awesome job on the tree house. It wasn’t at all professional, not with the different colored boards and a roof that sloped to fit the shape of the tree. Luckily, it had been constructed on a lower, sturdy branch so she didn’t have to go too high.

When she reached the top, she peeked in the open window and found Corbin attempting to quiet Justin’s giggles. Very loudly, she said, “Psst,” and they both jumped.

Justin charged toward her. “You’re home!”

Oh, how wonderful that sounded. “Yes, I am.” Teasing him, she asked, “Did you miss me?”

“Sure.” He stepped back. “Come on in.”

Sitting against the wall, one leg bent and the other stretched out, Corbin smiled at her—until he saw the bandage on her arm. He was on his feet in a nanosecond. “What happened?”

She stepped in around him. “It’s nothing. A small dog bite.”

“That’s what kept you?” He took her wrist and carefully lifted her arm, his brows knitting as he traced a fingertip over the bruises visible around the bandage.

Touched by his concern, she smiled and gently explained, “I bruise easily.”

“Stitches?”

“A few.”

Justin moved closer to see. “A dog really bit you?”

She smoothed away a smudge of dirt on his cheek. “Yes, he really did. He was horribly afraid because someone had been mean to him. He didn’t yet know that I wanted to help, so he reacted out of fear.”

Taking her hand, Justin moved closer. “He’s okay now?”

“Yes. He’s with my friends who run an animal rescue. They’re wonderful people. You’d love them, and you’d probably really love their farm, too. There are so many cute animals.”

“Many that you’ve helped?” Corbin asked.

She hedged her answer by saying, “Autumn and Ember carry the burden of the rescue, so I donate my veterinarian services.”

He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I keep saying it, but Sunset is a wonderful place to be, and you are a wonderful person.”

She was about to explain more when they all heard tires on the drive.

Justin raced to the window and looked out. “It’s a guy.” Turning back, he added, “I think it’s the guy we saw at your office.”

“Geoff?” It was Ivey’s turn to hurry forward to take a peek. Sure enough, Geoff had just stepped out of his car and was headed for the front door. “What in the world?”

“Maybe if we hunker down and stay real quiet, he’ll go away.”

She laughed at Corbin’s hopeful expression. “Don’t be silly.” She called out through the window, “We’re up here, Geoff. Be down in a second.”

With an eye roll, Corbin went to the door. “I’ll go first.”

Nudging Justin, she said, “He means in case one of us falls. Guess he thinks he’s more sure-footed than us.”

Justin grinned. “That’s okay. I’m faster.”

“You are, but we’re not going to race down the ladder, okay?” Ivey ruffled his hair, let him go second, then she came down...with an audience of an ex, a current and a ten-year-old cutie.

Everyone looked at her. She pasted on a smile and said, “Hey, Geoff. What’s up?”

His gaze dropped to her arm, which prompted him to come forward. “You got bit again?”

Brows up, Corbin asked, “Again?”

Sending him an impatient frown, Geoff explained, “She’s been bitten a few times over the past two years. Usually on the arm, but once on the leg, too.” Giving his attention back to Ivey, he touched her hair—then dropped his hand. “Are you okay?”

Wow, talk about awkward. Her gaze skittered over to Corbin, but with his arms crossed and his expression enigmatic, she couldn’t gauge his mood. Justin just stared owlishly, as if he could sense the adult tension.

Shaking herself, Ivey said, “I’m fine.” With a tip of her head, she asked, “What are you doing here, Geoff?”

His mouth compressed, but not with irritation for her. Leaning closer, he asked, “Can you send the kid inside?”

She stared at him. “Why ever would I do that?”

“Because I need to talk to you and his father, and it’d probably be better if he wasn’t listening in.”

“Um...” She chewed over the dilemma, trying to anticipate what Geoff might say, but not a single idea came to mind. “Give me a second.” Striding over to Corbin, she whispered Geoff’s request in his ear.

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t deny her. Voice calm and controlled, he said, “Justin? Could you go ask your Uncle Lang to heat up some dinner for Ivey? And check on the dogs while you’re in there.”

“Okay.” He grinned at Ivey. “We had fried chicken with mac and cheese.” With that announcement, he took off in a jog.

Corbin put his arm over Ivey’s shoulders. “All right, let’s hear it.”

Running a hand over the back of his neck, Geoff shifted. “Look, I didn’t particularly want to come here, okay? But Ivey’s involved, and then there’s the kid...”

Sensing something really was wrong, Ivey reached out to him. “What is it?”

“There was a woman in town asking about him.” He nodded at Corbin. “She said you had her son and wanted to know where to find you.”

“Jesus.” Corbin’s eyes, his face, the set of his mouth all went hard. “You told her where I live?”

“No. I wouldn’t do that.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Geoff scowled. “I mean, I knew Ivey was staying here with you and the other woman looked...” He searched for a word, then shook his head. “She was loud and angry. I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to send her here.”

“So you came to forewarn him?” Ivey asked gently.

“Seemed the right thing to do. She was pretty unhinged.” He shot another wary look at Corbin. “Pretty sure she was high or drunk or something. I didn’t talk to her, but I can’t guarantee no one else did.”

Corbin drew a deep breath. “When was this?”

“A few hours ago. I was just leaving the bar and she was there, in the parking lot. Basically causing a scene, if you want the truth. Someone might have called the cops.”

Holding out his hand, Corbin said, “Thank you for letting me know.”

Geoff hesitated, then accepted the offering. “No problem. You, ah, might want to keep a closer eye on the kid. From the things she was saying, she might make a grab for him.”

“I won’t let him out of my sight,” Corbin promised, without explaining that he already closely supervised Justin.

“Geoff.” Ivey stepped forward and gave him a platonic hug. “Thank you.”

For a second, he returned her embrace, his jaw to the top of her head, then he stepped away. “Take care of yourself, okay? And if you need anything, let me know.”

She and Corbin stood together, watching him go. Ivey waited until his car disappeared along the drive, hidden by the trees, before she turned to Corbin. “What will you do?”

“Get hold of my lawyer first.” He steered her toward the house.

“And then?”

“I have an idea.” He stopped without opening the front door. “I don’t think she really wants him. There has to be another reason she’s here.”

Ivey felt a little sick. “Money?”

“Even though she hasn’t asked for it, I owe her for back child support.”

Resting a hand on his chest, she felt the steady thumping of his heartbeat. “Because you didn’t know.”

“Regardless, there had to be sacrifices.”

“I’m not sure you can buy her off.” She wasn’t even sure if that was the right thing to do. “It could be like paying a ransom—and you don’t know yet if Justin wants to see her.”

“I’ll work it out. Sooner than I meant to.” He paused at the entry to the kitchen where Lang and Justin were getting her food together. “Guess Geoff isn’t so bad after all.”

“Guess not.” She put her arms around Corbin and rested her face to his solid chest. “But he’s not you, and he was never right for me.”

While Ivey ate, Justin kept her company, answering the many questions she managed to think up so that Corbin had time to tell his brother about the newest development.

Justin talked fast, his stories running together in his excitement. One of the puppies had pooed on the floor, and apparently Lang had stepped in it.

They both laughed over that. Overall, the pups were trained to go outside, but they were still young and accidents happened.

He showed her a scratch where a sharp puppy tooth had snagged his knuckle, and another on his knee from a puppy’s claws. Added to his bruised elbow, he was pretty banged up.

It made Ivey realize yet again that she’d burdened Corbin with a few too many dogs.

Maurice, apparently, had smacked a pup that got too frisky, and Justin thought that was hilarious, too.

They discussed ways to keep other accidents from happening. It seemed that earlier Corbin had decided that Justin could take them out front—away from the lure of the lake—several times a day.

Ivey assumed that plan would now change. She didn’t want Justin out front alone in case his mother showed up, so she knew Corbin would be even more adamant about it.

She wondered when, and if, life would finally settle down for him. Corbin deserved peace and calm and an opportunity to be a father without all the chaos.

Corbin spent much of the morning on the phone, always watching for Justin so that he didn’t overhear anything troubling before they could have their own talk.

It was a godsend, having Ivey there to help with the animals and to keep Justin occupied, though she’d need to head to work in the next few minutes. It took some doing, and his lawyer wasn’t entirely satisfied with his strategy, but he finally had some plans in motion.

He disconnected just as Ivey was preparing to go. He and Justin each gave her a goodbye hug. It did his heart good to see Justin accept her kiss on his cheek, and the way she squeezed him just a little longer than usual. Ivey wasn’t his mother, but she fit the maternal role to a tee.

After they watched her back out of the drive, Corbin put a hand on Justin’s shoulder. He’d waited until this morning to discuss things so that Justin wouldn’t have to go to bed with heavy concerns on his mind. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute, okay?”

Going very still, Justin asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” Corbin hugged him into his side. “I’m a talker, remember? This won’t be the first time or the last where I want to have a man-to-man chat with you. I don’t want you to worry every time I do.”

Looking very unconvinced, Justin nodded. “Okay.”

Corbin led him to the kitchen table. It seemed a good place to have important conversations, probably because it was a practice familiar to him. His own parents had always congregated at the table for big discussions. “Where’s your Uncle Lang?”

“Said he was taking a shower but would be up soon.” Justin fidgeted. “He took the dogs out first, though, cuz he wanted me to stay inside.”

“That’s why you thought you were in trouble?”

One narrow shoulder lifted. “Usually I do it.”

After pouring another cup of coffee, Corbin took the chair nearest to his son. “Do you like having your Uncle Lang here?”

“Sure.” His face scrunched up with worry. “He’s not leaving, is he?”

So often, Justin worried about losing the people he’d grown close to. “Nope. Even if someday he doesn’t live in this house, he said he plans to be close by. He’s your uncle, he loves you, so you’d still see him a lot.”

With that now familiar skepticism, Justin said, “Kay.”

Inside, Corbin cringed. For every inch of progress he made with his son, there seemed to be some force pushing back against him. “I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

Justin appeared to hold his breath.

God, how to say it? His son looked so distraught, Corbin figured it’d be better just to plow through it. “Apparently, your mother is in town.”

Horror froze him with his eyes open wide and his mouth clamped tight.

Corbin reached for his hand. “I don’t know how you feel about seeing her—”

Before he could finish, Justin launched himself at him, grabbing him around the neck and clinging tightly. The jarring movement knocked over his coffee cup, but luckily the hot liquid only spilled over the table, not on his son.

“You said I could stay here!”

The anguish he heard was unbearable. Corbin gathered Justin into his lap and held him to his heart. “I keep telling you, you aren’t going anywhere. You’re mine, and I won’t ever let you go.”

“But you said Mom was here,” Justin accused.

“She probably wants to see you.”

“No.”

Christ, what had Darcie put him through? “If you don’t want to see her, you don’t have to. I promise.” He only hoped he could keep that vow. “I mean it, Justin. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Thank God he had resources. His mother and father hadn’t believed in using money as power, but now? Corbin would use whatever means necessary to ensure Justin was protected. “Believe me?”

Without raising his head, Justin nodded.

“Good. So knowing that you aren’t going anywhere and knowing that I’ll always be your dad, would you want to see her if I was with you?” Quickly, he added, “I’d be right by your side. You wouldn’t be alone with her.”

He felt Justin wipe his face on his shirt and knew that he was crying. There’d been a few occasions when he’d come close, but this was the first time that he’d actually broken down. Corbin thought that having his heart cut out without anesthesia would have been easier than this.

With a wet sniffle, Justin sat back, but he kept his head bowed. “Do you... Do you want me to?”

“I want what is best for you.” Honesty was the only way to go now. “Your mother might want to see you, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s up to you, okay? Whatever you decide, I’ll keep you safe.”

Justin knuckled his eyes and drew a ragged breath. “What if she takes me away?”

“I would never let her do that.” Corbin sensed when Lang came to the doorway. He looked over Justin’s shoulder and saw the same emotion on his brother’s face that he felt. “That’s why your uncle didn’t want you outside alone. Until I can get things worked out, I want you to always have an adult with you, even when you’re in the yard. Okay?”

Justin nodded fast in agreement.

“If your mother shows up here, I want you to stay away from her, and I especially want you to trust me to protect you. Do you think you can do that?”

Justin dragged a forearm under his nose, sniffled again and gave another nod.

Lang disappeared for a second, then returned with a tissue box. Hunching his shoulders, Justin refused to look at him. For a little guy, he had so much pride.

Corbin handed him a tissue. “Blow your nose, son.”

He made a half-hearted effort, then handed the tissue back to Corbin. It was a moment that made him smile, yet another novel experience, and he hugged Justin again. “We’re going to get it all worked out.”

No reply.

Lang pulled out a chair. “So, you know what I want to do tonight?”

Suspicious, Justin asked, “What?”

“I want to camp out in the living room. Just you and me, bud. What do you think?”

“Camp out?”

“Yup. We’ll get in some practice with our sleeping bags before we try sleeping in the tree house. We’ll use a flashlight to read one of the comic books Ivey gave you. It’s extra creepy that way.”

Justin gave it a little thought, then said, “I have a good Creature from the Black Lagoon one I’ve been saving. We could read it.”

“That sounds perfect. I even have a tent we can put up. Won’t that be cool?”

Amazing how Justin could go from tearful with worry to anticipating a new experience. And bless Lang for thinking of it.

When Justin left his lap, Corbin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “I wanted you to know what is happening so you’ll be extra cautious, but I don’t want you to worry.”

“Kay.” Justin swallowed heavily. “I don’t want to see her. Not yet.”

With a smile of encouragement, Corbin nodded. “Okay. If you ever change your mind, just let me know and we’ll try to work it out.” He smoothed down his son’s hair. “I love you, Justin.”

After a loud sniffle, Justin returned his smile. “Love you, too.” Then he raced off, calling for Daisy.

Corbin shared a look with Lang. “That kid packs such a punch.”

“No shit,” Lang said, and he heaved out a breath. “I’ll watch him for a bit. We’ll make plans for tonight.”

“Whenever you can without being too heavy-handed, reinforce the importance of being aware of his surroundings, okay?” Corbin didn’t think Darcie would show up to steal him away, but when it came to his son, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“Sure thing.” Lang squeezed his shoulder. “Someday, somehow, it’s going to be okay.”

And until then, Corbin had his brother and Ivey, and he had his son. Someday, somehow. He had to believe that.

But first, he needed to find Darcie and make an offer.

He tried calling the number she’d originally given him, but it didn’t connect. Leaving Justin with Lang, he went into town to try to find her. Sunset was small enough that it shouldn’t be too difficult. In the meantime, his lawyer was drawing up new legal papers.

With any luck, he’d have it all settled in no time.