Life Rewritten Read online

  “Fine. Good.” He needed help from someone. He had no idea how to comfort the kids. Leo refused to acknowledge his authority. And Sam didn’t have a clue what Rennie was thinking. She mostly let Leo speak for her.

  Some of the tension drained from Delaney’s body. She’d been practically quivering with anger. “Do you know why Rennie ran away?” she asked quietly.

  “Yeah, you told me. I have mean eyes.”

  She stiffened again. “You can joke about this? Are you that much of an asshole?”

  “I’m not joking, damn it. I have no idea what I’m doing.” He hated that she was seeing him like this. Unsure. Lost. Bumbling.

  Delaney stared at him for an uncomfortable moment. “She was chasing a dog. She thought it was lost, and she wanted to rescue him.”

  “Did she tell you I wouldn’t let her have a dog?”

  “You weren’t part of the equation. She thought the dog was lost because his mother left him.”

  “My God.” Sam scraped his hands over his face. Even he could figure that one out. “How can she miss Heather? The woman is a disaster as a mother. When she wasn’t neglecting them or screaming at them, she was clinging to them.”

  “She’s still their mom. Kids love their mothers, no matter what.” For a moment, Delaney’s eyes looked bruised.

  “Fine. If she wants a dog, I’ll get her a dog.”

  Delaney smiled. “You’ve already got one, pal. He’s in the kitchen, sleeping with Rennie.”

  DELANEY TRAILED BEHIND Sam as he strode into the kitchen. He stopped in the middle of the room and stared at the dog and child cuddled together on the floor. Delaney slipped past him to lean against the counter and watch. She was getting a really bad feeling about these kids and Sam. He was completely clueless.

  He shouldn’t be taking care of them. They needed a lot more than he was willing to give them.These were Diesel’s kids. Delaney had loved their father, but she couldn’t save him. Maybe she could save Leo and Rennie.

  She’d never spent any time around children. But at least she understood what these two had gone through. Clearly, their lives had been chaotic for a long time.

  Would things have been different if Diesel hadn’t died?

  She picked up her morning cup of coffee from the counter and swallowed a cold, bitter gulp.

  Sam knelt on the floor in front of Leo. “Hey, buddy, let me take a look at that dog in your sister’s lap.”

  Leo had positioned himself on the floor in front of Rennie. Was he protecting her from Sam? From Delaney? Either way, it was a brave thing to do. And incredibly sad. A ten-year-old shouldn’t have to feel responsible for his sister.

  Leo didn’t move for a moment. The two males stared at each other, neither of them blinking. They might as well be pawing the floor.

  Clearly, Leo had been taking care of his sister for a long time and didn’t want to accept Sam’s authority. Finally, the boy moved. Slowly. To Rennie’s side.

  Sam stared at the snoring dog. The sweatshirt had slipped onto the floor, and there was nothing to camouflage the animal’s appearance. “What the hell is that?”

  “That’s Fluffy,” she said. Looking at the dog objectively, she had to admit he was pretty ugly. Round body, short legs, rough black coat full of burrs and mud.

  “Fluffy? He looks like a cross between a dachshund and a bowling ball.”

  “He’s got a good personality, though.” She smiled into her coffee cup at the horror on Sam’s face. “This is the dog she wants?”

  “They chose each other,” Delaney said. “Trust me, it’s a done deal.”

  Leo shifted so he was in front of Rennie and the dog again. “I think he’s pretty cool looking. I’ll help Ren give him a bath.” The expression in his eyes was far too adult.

  Sam glared at her, as if she’d set this whole situation up. She shrugged. “His jerk owners, the Ryersons, moved out and left him behind. No one’s been able to catch him. He trotted right up to Rennie.”

  “I’m renting the Ryersons’ house.” Sam’s mouth tightened as he looked at the dog and his niece. “How could someone just abandon a dog?”

  “How can someone abandon a child?” She kept her gaze steady on him, and he flushed.

  “I didn’t abandon them,” he muttered. But he’d wanted to. “Has the dog been hanging around the property?” Delaney finally asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “He has,” Leo said with a satisfied sneer at Sam. “Me and Rennie saw him a few times.” The boy clearly relished knowing more than his uncle.

  Delaney moved closer to Leo. “Your sister’s going to need some help with him. Fluffy’s been wild since his owners left. You’ll have to make sure he’s calmed down enough for her to handle him.”

  Leo nodded and put his hand on his sleeping sister. “Yeah, I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt her.”

  Delaney ignored Sam’s irritated frown and spoke to Leo again. “He wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. But he’s pretty strong.” She squatted next to the dog and pointed to the dirty scab on his leg. “He should see a vet, too. He’s hurt.”

  Rennie stirred and sat up. The hot pink sweatshirt pooled in her lap, and the sleeves covered her hands as she reached for the dog.

  Sam raised an eyebrow at Delaney. “‘Hot stuff’?”

  She felt a flush sweep over her. “It was the smallest one I had.” Too small for her now. She’d been rail thin and pasty, with buzz-cut hair and hollow eyes, when Emma had given her that sweatshirt. “I don’t wear it anymore.”

  He glanced at her again, and this time his gaze lingered for a moment.

  Then he turned to Rennie. “Delaney said you found him in the woods. Do you want a dog?”

  “Fluffy.” She curled her arms around the animal’s belly again, as if attaching herself to him.

  “I think he has owners.” Sam crouched next to Fluffy and tentatively petted him.

  “They’re long gone,” Delaney said.

  He shot her an irritated look, and she shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

  “Then I guess we better get home and give this guy a bath. You, too, Rennie.”

  “We’ll take a bath together.”

  When Sam didn’t nip that plan in the bud, Delaney said, “I think that might make Fluffy nervous, Rennie.”

  The girl looked at her uncle. “Are you going to give me a bath?”

  “Sure, I’ll help you.”

  Delaney could see his discomfort. “Do you want me to do it?”

  “No. I can take care of my niece and nephew myself.”

  “Come into the other room for a moment,” she said, walking out of the kitchen without waiting to see if he’d follow.

  In the living room, out of earshot of the kids, she said, “Leave them here, Sam. I’ll take care of them. You clearly don’t want to be burdened.”

  “Leave my niece and nephew with a stranger?” He looked shocked at the suggestion.

  “That’s what you wanted to do, isn’t it? You tried to find a woman to take care of them.”

  “That was different. You’re…” He stopped, as if he’d just realized what he was going to say.

  “Yes, I was their father’s lover. Maybe that’s inappropriate. But I’m willing to try and figure out what they need.” She saw Diesel in each of his children, and the memories were bittersweet. “I loved Diesel.”

  “I’m not leaving them with you. The only thing we need from you are those CDs.”

  “And you’re not getting them.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, and she couldn’t read his expression. Was he actually thinking about her offer? Part of her was terrified of the responsibility. What would she do with two kids? Even temporarily. The other part wanted to give Diesel’s kids what their father could no longer give them.

  Sam headed into the kitchen. “Let’s go, guys. We’ve taken up too much of Ms. Spencer’s day.”

  “You can call me Delaney,” she said to Leo and Rennie.

  Sam clenched h
is jaw as he bent to help Rennie pick up the dog. “I’ll carry him, Ren.”

  “Why don’t I give you a ride home?” Delaney said as she watched the silent tug-of-war between the girl and her uncle. “It’ll be warmer for Rennie.”

  “Thanks, but we’ll manage.”

  “Right.” Just like he was managing everything else with the kids.

  He must have read her mind, because he put the dog on the floor and picked Rennie up. She squirmed in his arms, trying to reach Fluffy.

  “He’ll come with us, Ren,” Sam said. “I need to carry you so you don’t get cold.”

  “I want Fluffy.”

  Delaney opened the kitchen door and followed them down the stairs. Sam was trying to get a firm grip on the wriggling child as they headed away from her house. Leo was trying to carry Fluffy, and was staggering under the dog’s weight.

  As they disappeared past the bushes, Delaney heard Rennie sobbing.

  CHAPTER NINE

  RENNIE’S SOBS FOLLOWED Delaney into the house. They echoed painfully in her head as she washed the pan she’d used for the hot chocolate and swept the dirt off the kitchen floor. Finally, restless and edgy, she headed into the barn. Work would take her mind off Diesel’s children.

  By the time she’d ruined two of the spindles in the lathe and hit her thumb twice with a hammer, she gave up. There would be no more work done today.Leo and Rennie’s faces lingered in her mind. She wanted to get to know them. Help them.

  Sam wanted no part of that. He’d all but told her to butt out.

  But those kids needed her.

  And she needed them.

  Sam seemed like an intelligent man. How could he be so clueless when it came to his niece and nephew? He’d all but told Delaney he was marking time until he could get them back to Miami and hire someone to take care of them.

  Diesel would have wanted more than that for his children. He’d loved Leo and Rennie with a fierce, all-consuming passion. It was their mother’s threat to take them away from him permanently that had pushed him over the edge.

  As she finished cleaning the lathe, Delaney felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Delaney? It’s Sam.”

  His voice was strained. Raw.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Wails sounded in the background, mixed with frantic barking. “Rennie won’t take a bath. She says she wants you. I tried reasoning with her, but now she and Leo have locked themselves in her room. If I go to open the door, she starts screaming.” He sounded like a man at the end of his rope.

  Delaney didn’t feel any sense of satisfaction. Or validation. She only felt sad. “What do you want?”

  “I—I know…I know I was rude this afternoon.”

  “Yeah, you were.” The words hung between them as she tightened her grip on the phone and waited for him to speak. She needed to be clear about what he was asking her.

  He blew out a breath. “Will you come over here and help Rennie take a bath? See if you can calm her down?”

  Delaney could picture Rennie’s lost eyes. Leo’s, too. “Why are you asking me?”

  “Because I don’t know anyone else up here.”

  That was brutally honest. She wouldn’t do this for Sam. She would do it for Leo and Rennie. “Fine. I’ll be over as soon as I change my clothes.”

  “What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?” Desperation filled his voice.

  “They’re my work clothes.”

  “Hell, I don’t care. Rennie won’t care, either. Just get over here.” He started to say something, then hesitated. “I can’t take much more of this screaming.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  She swept the sawdust off her overalls as well as she could, and brushed it out of her hair. Not bothering with a coat, she grabbed her keys and her purse.

  Her truck started on the first try. Thank God she’d gotten the new battery. Right now, it was worth eating peanut butter and jelly for a week.

  It took ten minutes to drive around to the Ryersons’. She heard Rennie crying as soon as she got out of the truck.

  The white house with black shutters was a single story, similar to a lot of the houses in the area. This one, though, had a neglected feel to it, as if the Ryersons had stopped caring about it long before they’d moved. The shutters sagged and the paint on the front door was chipped. Even the bushes at the front of the house were drooping.

  She hadn’t gotten all the way up the steps when Sam threw the door open. “Thank God,” he said. He’d taken off the sweater he’d had on earlier, and now wore only a blue work shirt, sleeves rolled up and tails hanging out. A damp stain spread over the right side of his chest. When he noticed her looking at it, he said, “Grape jelly.”

  They stopped at a closed door down the hall. Delaney heard Leo’s voice, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  She tentatively knocked, and Leo went quiet. “Rennie? It’s Delaney. May I come in?”

  Sam leaned closer, as if trying to hear what was going on. His head was near enough for her to see the stubble of his beard and the tiny lines around his eyes. They looked like laugh lines, but she hadn’t seen him smile since she’d met him. The subtle scent of pine clung to him, along with the fainter aroma of grape jelly.

  “Come in,” Leo said.

  Sam stepped back so fast she felt a breeze. She gave him a questioning look.

  “Better if they don’t see me right now,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Because Rennie will start screaming.”

  “Maybe she should see you. She asked for me, and you got me to come here. You listened to her.”

  He stared at her for a moment, his dark gray eyes unreadable. But he didn’t move away when she opened the door.

  The bedroom was small, and held a twin mattress on a frame and a dresser that leaned to one side. The walls were white, and the dark green rug in the middle of the floor and matching quilt on the bed were the only bits of color in the room.

  Rennie, still wearing the hot pink sweatshirt, was curled up in the far corner, sniffling. Her eyes were swollen, her nose was red and mucous smeared her cheeks. Leo was plastered to her side, his arm around her. Fluffy lay on the rug, panting.

  “Hey, Rennie.” Delaney eased to the floor to sit cross-legged near the children. She felt Sam watching them.

  “You came.” The girl reached for Fluffy.

  “Your uncle Sam called me and said you wanted me to come.”

  Rennie gave a tiny nod, and Sam moved away from the door. Was he ashamed he’d given in to his niece’s demands? Or was he afraid that she’d be grateful? See him in another light?

  Delaney would think about that later. Right now, she needed to focus on Rennie. “Would you like me to give you a bath?”

  “Don’t like baths.”

  “How come?”

  “They make my hair hurt.” She swiped the back of her hand across her nose.

  It looked as if her hair hadn’t been combed for days. “You have very pretty hair.” Delaney slowly reached out and touched the tangled mass of curls. “Who brushes it for you?”

  “I do.”

  How long had it been since anyone had looked at these children? “Can I help you comb it before you take a bath? Then it won’t hurt afterward.”

  Rennie hooked an arm around the dog. “Fluffy doesn’t like baths, either.”

  There were no burrs or mud in the dog’s coat, and his hair looked a little shinier. “Did you give him a bath this afternoon?”

  She nodded. “He tried to jump out of the bathtub.”

  “That must have been funny.” Delaney stroked Rennie’s head.

  The child nodded again.

  “Let’s go sit in the living room. Maybe Uncle Sam will read you a story while I do your hair.”

  Rennie glanced at her brother, who nodded once. Delaney stood up and held out her hand. “What’s your favorite book?”

 
The girl took a picture book out of a small suitcase on the floor and held it up. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”

  “I don’t know that one. I’d like to hear it, too.”

  When they walked into the living room, Sam was in the kitchen. Cooking, it seemed. The aroma of tomato sauce drifted through the house. Leo sprawled on the floor and picked up a cell phone. Delaney left Rennie on the couch, then went into the kitchen.

  “Rennie needs to be distracted while I comb her hair,” she said in a quiet voice. “Can you read her a book?”

  “I should stay away from her. I couldn’t bear it if she started screaming again.” Steam from the pan of boiling water swirled around his face, but it couldn’t hide his misery. He didn’t look at her as he prepared to pour pasta into the pot.

  Delaney caught his hand, stopping him. The hair on his wrist tickled her fingers, and his muscles tightened beneath her grip.

  She let him go and took a step back. “She’s already picked out the book. I can’t read to her and comb at the same time.”

  He turned off the stove and finally looked at Delaney. “How do you know so much about taking care of kids? Did Diesel…?”

  “No.” Her throat closed and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her overalls. “No, I never met them.”

  “All Rennie wanted this afternoon was you.”

  His words made her feel worse. She was nobody’s idea of a savior. “Because I caught the dog for her. Let me take them, Sam. You clearly don’t want them.” She spoke in a whisper, knowing the children were probably listening. “How long has it been since someone paid attention to them?”

  “Probably quite a while.” Guilt and sadness swirled in his gray eyes. “Heather was… There’s a reason she’s going to be in rehab for a while. They were basically raising themselves.”

  “Then you took them and brought them up here, away from their home and their friends.”

  He picked up a wooden spoon and started stirring the sauce. “They need money and this is where the money is.”

  “No, it’s not. You’re not going to get those CDs.”

  “Look at them.” He gestured toward the living room with the spoon, dripping sauce on the stove. “They need stability in their lives. The income from those CDs will provide it.”