He didn’t say anything but just looked at me, his gaze pinned to my face and his head still on one side. The silence was deafening, unnerving, his stare heating my veins yet giving me goosebumps at the same time. I felt like I wanted to run but was desperate to stay. I disliked him intensely, yet he fascinated me.
“Okay, if you don’t want to help it’s fine.”
“Never said that, Cassidy.” He pushed himself off the edge of the desk and stood in front of me. Inches from me. “Lucas Keller the kid?”
I tipped my head back to look up at him, seeing as he was a good foot taller than me. “How did you know?” How could a man who only seemed to care about horses be so perceptive?
“I know he’s in your class and Bertie told me about the fight yesterday. Plus, he’s been here a few times, parties and play dates with Bertie and his mom was always late picking him up. One time she didn’t turn up at all. I took him home and she was out. The kid had to let himself in.”
“And did you tell anyone? Did Lily know?” Anger sparked as I thought about Lucas being home alone. About Gunner knowing and not doing anything about it. “God, Gunner, he’s just a little kid. Did you not think that someone should know?”
He blinked slowly and held up a hand. “Do you want to stop right there and listen to what I have to say?”
“Like what?”
“Like I went in with him and stayed for ten minutes until his mom arrived home. I told her it was unacceptable. Knowing he was going to be coming home she should have been there for him.”
“And what did she say?”
He worried his jaw and inhaled deeply. “She told me that her boss at the call center she works at in Montrose kept them all behind for an unplanned meeting.”
“She works inMontrose?” That was almost an hour and a half away. It explained so much.
“She does. And on weekends she works from home for an answering service.”
“She has two jobs?” The poor woman, no wonder she never had time for school meetings or events.
“She does. It appears Mr. Keller left them about six months ago. Went off with some woman he met through work. He lives in Montana now.” Gunner sighed and moved around his desk and pulled open a drawer. He searched around it until he pulled out a packet of gum. He took a piece and then held it out to me. I shook my head. “Anyway,” he continued, throwing the gum back in the drawer, “he sounds like a dick to me. I asked if I could help in some way, but she said it was fine. She’s working on finding somewhere in Montrose to live.”
He’d offered to help her. Wow, that surprised me, and it made me feel a little strange. In my stomach. Like I’d eaten something bad.
“How would you help her?” The words were out before I could stop them. It was none of my business but the unease in my belly was growing.
Gunner raised an eyebrow as he scratched at the stubble on his chin, an amused twinkle in his eyes. “Not in the way that you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything,” I replied too quickly.
“Hmm I’ll bet.” His tongue licked slowly along his full bottom lip and the unease suddenly felt like something different. Something I didn’t want to think about but made me realize that I really needed to get laid soon. It had been too long.
“I was going to offer her a job here. In my office.” He swept a hand over his desk. “You can see me and Charlie aren’t really ones for admin. Nash and Wilder are always complaining that I take too long to get everything on the computer.”
There was a tower of three trays, each one full of paperwork, with more covering the desk.
“You should just do it straightaway.” I rolled my eyes. “And who still sends actual paperwork anyway?”
“Ranchers, farmers and old guys who’ve worked the land for the last forty years.”
As he chewed his gum I couldn’t stop my gaze from wandering to his Adam’s apple, watching it bob with each chew.
Shaking my head to erase the images threatening to push through, I sighed heavily. “Okay, so about Lucas. Do you think you’d be able to help him?”
“I think I could find work for him to do. I’m sure Nash and Wilder could, too. If things work out with his mom finding a place in Montrose, though, it might not be necessary.”
My heart sank. “He’s doing so well at school; it would be a shame if he had to move to the city. There might be malls and movie theatres, but there’s no mountains, or beautiful landscapes like there is here.”
Gunner’s expression was one of awe, like I’d just told him the secret of how to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
“What?” I asked.
