Debbie’s eyes twinkled as she grinned. “Is there something I should know about your daughter? Is she a kleptomaniac or something?”
“No, of course not. It’s just that people like you—“
“What do you mean by people like me?” Debbie turned narrowed eyes on him.
He raised a hand to ward off her ire. “I only meant that…most people are particular about their possessions and aren’t usually very trusting of others.”
Her brow furrowed. “Well, I’m not like that. Besides, there’s nothing in my house that isn’t replaceable.”
That’s easy for Debbie to say. Didn’t Darrel say he almost didn’t recognize Debbie without all the jewelry? She probably had more diamonds and other precious gemstones than even Cheyenne’s mom. It’s not that he didn’t trust his daughter, but he was glad Debbie had a safe. He hated how he couldn’t seem to separate Debbie from his experiences with Cheyenne’s family.
He watched the action on the field while he searched for a change of subject.
Two young teenage girls stepped up to Debbie’s other side with another younger girl, and Austin heaved a sigh of relief.
“Aunt Debbie, we’re taking Mia over to the playground,” the taller girl said. “Do you want us to take Noah?”
Hearing the word playground, Noah squirmed with renewed vigor. “Wanna play.”
Indecision filled Debbie’s face as she struggled to keep hold of the little boy until he looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Pleease.”
“We’ll keep a close eye on him, we promise,” the shorter girl said.
“By close eye, you mean you won’t take your eyes off him for a second, right? Because he loves to run off, and he is fast.” She tightened her hold as Noah started to slide off her lap. “Noah, listen to me. You stay with Lizzy and Brooklyn, okay?”
“’Kay.” The boy was gone as soon as Debbie’s hold loosened.
The three girls ran after him, and Debbie sank back into her chair with a sigh.
Austin chuckled. “So how’s the foster parent thing going?”
She laughed. “Both fantastic and horrendous. I’ve never met a kid with so much energy. I mean, my nephews can be pretty hyper, but Noah is worse than the four of them put together.” She pushed her hair back over her shoulder, revealing a long slender neck. “I took him grocery shopping this morning. Talk about a fiasco. Being a foster parent is not quite like I expected it would be, but I love it.” Her smile lit up her eyes, and Austin’s heart rate kicked up a notch.
Debbie’s devotion to the busy foster child was admirable. He was still trying to convince himself to look away a long moment later when Debbie gasped and jumped to her feet.
Austin’s gaze followed hers to the center of the field where Dallas lay sprawled on the grass. He was out of his seat and halfway to his son when Dallas rolled over and pushed to his feet.
Austin stopped, watching Dallas carefully.
Dallas looked at his dad as he rubbed his knee. A strained look crossed his red face, and Austin could tell he fought the tears. At nine years old, Dallas tried so hard to act mature, but he was still just a little boy. Austin tried not to baby his kids, but as far as boys were concerned, there was a fine line between showing concern and smothering.
“That’s the way, Dallas.” Debbie’s voice came from a few paces behind Austin. “Shake it off, buddy. You’re going to be fine.”
Dallas’s gaze jumped to Debbie, and he gave her a shaky smile and a nod. Then he turned and raced down the field.
Debbie understood that Dallas needed validation but didn’t want to be coddled in front of his peers. Again a surge of admiration shot through him.
Austin returned to the sideline and kept his attention on the field for the remainder of the game. His distraction with Debbie was not the reason Dallas had fallen and gotten hurt, but he couldn’t let his admiration for the fiery redhead who’d dropped into their lives so unexpectedly distract him from giving his children the attention they deserved. He needed to focus on his kids and not let this woman who seemed too good to be true make him want things he was better off without.
His resolve weakened a few minutes later when Debbie leaned toward him pressing her shoulder against his. A current of electricity surged through him, making him aware of her subtle feminine scent.
“Check out these pictures Noah helped me take of the boys before the game.”
Austin laughed at the multiple pictures where Dallas and Cody had their heads or half of their faces cut off.
“Oh this one turned out good. I’ll send it to you.”
His phone pinged with text after text as Debbie continued to find good poses of his sons.
