Strong arms slipped around her waist, holding her upright. They turned her around and into a wall of warm strength and safety. No longer able to contain her emotions, she gave in to tears, sobbing against Shaw’s chest. She wanted to stay here forever. It felt good to have someone to lean on. The weight of single parenthood grew heavy at times. But then, like a cold wave on the shore, reality crashed over her. She pushed back, horrified to see she’d clutched his shirt in her fist. She avoided his eyes. “Sorry.” She reached for the car door, but Shaw stopped her before she could open it.
“You’re in no condition to drive.”
“I’m fine. I can take care of myself.” She shot him a withering glance. “I’ve been doing it for a long time now.” She sensed Shaw recoil.
“I’m well aware of that. But right now I’m taking care of things.” He walked her around to the other side of the car and eased her inside. “Give me your keys.”
“What about your truck?”
“I’ll get it later.”
Lainie leaned back in the passenger seat, too tired and weak to resist. She hated feeling helpless, but there was nothing she could do for the time being. Turning her head away from Shaw, she tried to ignore him. It wasn’t easy. He took up a lot of space in her small car. She stole a quick glance as he adjusted the seat farther back to accommodate his long legs. He looked uncomfortable in her compact car, but she could easily see him in the cab of a sturdy pickup.
“Are we going home, Mommy?”
“No, Natalie. We’re going to Mr. Shaw’s house. It won’t take long to get there.”
Turning her attention to the window again, she allowed the sights outside to temporarily distract her. Dover was a charming town. With its courthouse park and streets lined with picturesque buildings, it was the kind of place she’d dreamed of raising her children. A community of love and support with friendly neighbors, and people who took care of one another. She was going to like it here once she got past the unpleasant welcome.
A few blocks beyond the square, Shaw turned onto a street in an older neighborhood. Large Victorian homes with manicured lawns and full-grown trees brought a small smile to Lainie’s lips. She’d always had a fondness for gingerbread houses. To her, they represented home, family, permanence—all the things she wanted for her girls and never had herself.
Shaw slowed the car and pulled into a driveway. Lainie scanned the facade, disappointed at what she saw. Unlike the other lovely homes on the street, this house was in need of love and attention. The paint on the Queen Anne Victorian was faded. The turret rising up on the left side of the house was elegant, but the finial at the top was bent in half. The roof was missing several tiles. Many of the spindles on the front porch railing were gone.
Shaw shut off the engine and handed her back her keys. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”
Home? The word sent a cold splash of reality over her nerves. She could not under any circumstances stay in this man’s house. What had she been thinking? “Maybe you’d better take us back to town. Is there a homeless shelter here?”
Shaw shifted in his seat to look at her. “Do you really want to do that? This house is a duplex, Lainie. The former owner had divided it up years ago. You’ll have your own space. The yard is fenced so it’s safe for your kids. It’s temporary. Until you can get your documents replaced. Please. I can’t let you go to a shelter.”
He was right. She was here for only a short while. Until she could replace her stolen bank cards. Then she could find a place to live. Faraway from Shaw and the past. In a way, this was all his fault. He owed her that much. And she was far too tired and upset to fight another battle right now.
Lainie reached for her purse. How many times would she do that before she remembered she didn’t have it any longer? She climbed from the car, then opened the back door to help the girls. Natalie jumped out and stared at the house. Chrissy unfastened the buckles over her chest and joined her sister.
“Mommy, is this a castle?”
“No, just an old house.” Aesthetically, the home was lovely. A stately two story, with wraparound porch and dripping with gingerbread. With some work, it could be the most beautiful home on the street.
She steered the girls to the front steps, noting the spacious porch was perfect for wicker furniture. Large ferns stood in corners. A weather-beaten swing hung at the far end, beckoning her to sit and relax.
Lainie followed Shaw into the spacious main hall, her gaze taking in the high ceilings and the stately staircase rising to the second floor. The inlaid wood floors were dark from years of neglect, making it hard to discern the pattern. The wide center hall stretched to the rear of the home. To the right were two large pocket doors partially open to reveal an empty room, probably the original parlor. On the other side of the entrance was a thick, unattractive door with a sturdy lock.
“I’ll be right back.” Shaw disappeared behind the staircase.
“I want to climb the stairs.” Natalie pointed to the elegant stairway with stately newel posts and carved spindles below a wide smooth banister.
“Not right now, sweetie.”
Lainie’s gaze drifted from the exquisitely carved stairs on one side of the hall to the wall on the other. Two crudely constructed sections stood out like an ugly patch on a pretty face. She guessed the additions had something to do with covering up old doors and sealing off that side of the home. The house had an odd, schizophrenic feel to it. One side grand and stately, the other run-down and hopeless.
“Mommy are we going to live in this castle?”
“For a little bit. Mr. Shaw is going to help us until—” How did she explain to young children the predicament she was in without alarming them? And how did she keep her own fears under control? “Until I can get a new purse.”
A loud bark shattered the silence. A black-and-white blur darted from behind the stairs and charged at them. Natalie screamed. Chrissy stood still, clenching her little hands into fists at her side. Lainie’s heart pounded violently as a large dog barreled down on the children. She pulled her girls close shielding them with her arms.
“Beaux. Heel.” Instantly, the Dalmatian slid to a halt, then trotted to Shaw’s side.
Lainie glared at the man as he approached. Natalie pulled out of her arms. Lainie grabbed the back of her shirt to hold her back.
“I want to pet the doggie.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s all right.” Shaw commanded the dog to sit then stooped and gestured to the girls. “Want to meet my dog?” They nodded and took small steps forward. Shaw extended his palm. “Hold your hand like this and let him sniff you.”
With the animal under control, Lainie relaxed her hold on her children. Both girls followed Shaw’s instruction, giggling with delight when Beaux sniffed their fingers.
“Now pet his head and he’ll be your friend forever.”
Natalie scratched the dog’s head and ears vigorously, while Chrissy moved to the dog’s side and stroked his black-and-white fur. She smiled at her mother. “He has polka spots.”
Lainie’s heart still pounded, but at a more normal rate now that it looked as if the animal wasn’t going to eat her children.
Shaw rose and joined her. “He’s a very gentle animal, but rambunctious.”
“You should have told me you had a