Cara O'Shea's Return, page 8
part #1 of Small Town New England Series
“Please, call me Cara.” She followed him inside the combination seating and game room. Ping pong tables, dart boards, and game tables shared the space with several long, comfortable couches.
“Only if you’ll call me Doc.” His smile said he was pleased by the idea.
They toured the main building, and then he led her out the back door. He pointed out the classrooms and mess hall. Half a dozen canoes, stacked together against a small wooden building, marked the boathouse.
“How long have you known Finn?”
“I don’t, really,” she explained. “I grew up in Palmerton, so I knew of him. I never technically met him until about a week ago. What about you?”
“He was a student in a psychology course I taught at BC in his first year. We kept in touch over the years and became friends. I’m still a professor. I just take summers off to run the camp’s program.”
“How long has the camp been here?” She glanced around the orderly facility. “I grew up in Palmerton, yet never knew this place existed.”
“It used to be a private camp.” They strolled up a path toward several outbuildings. “This is our fifth summer. We have fifty-two boys this year. They come to us in different ways. Some through the courts, others through private requests.”
“How are you funded? Are you a state program?” However they were funded, the camp was well cared for. Though the cabins lining the meandering trail weren’t large, neither were they tiny.
“Some of our funding is public. The boys we get are the ones on the edge, non-dangerous kids who haven’t quite gone over to the dark side, but are headed that way. When the juvenile courts think a boy can benefit from our program instead of spending time in juvenile hall, they fund his tuition here. The others are funded through private donations and fundraisers.
“The boys’ dorms are here.” He pointed to the closet of the cabins sitting amongst the tall pines. “The program runs for eight weeks each summer. We keep the boys on a strict schedule. Sports in the mornings, classes after lunch, and swimming or fishing before dinner. We have games and activities in the main building in the evening, but no television, video games or cell phones. We keep them pretty busy.”
When they started back down the path to the main building once more, Cara commented, “I noticed the football game in progress when we pulled up. How much do you want to bet we find Finn on the sideline when we return?”
“If I know Finn, he’ll be out on the field, not on the sideline.” Doc smiled warmly. “His sports program is the most popular part of the camp curriculum with the boys and the key to our success. Football is the carrot we use to get them to cooperate in the academic instruction they’re required to take.”
“His sports program?” Her gaze swung to the field below. As predicted, Finn’s large frame was visible at the center of the field, a group of uniform clad boys surrounding him as he demonstrated a rolling move.
Doc followed her gaze. “The camp and its program were Finn’s concept. In addition, he’s the major financier. He runs a weeklong football camp at the beginning of each summer. He managed to talk several of his friends from the NFL into helping out. Having that kind of one-on-one time with a famous pro hooks the boys, and once they’re hooked, they’re willing to put up with the academic instruction and real life counseling we require of them, in order to stay on the field.”
Finn slapped one of the coaches on the back and turned to lope across the field. He smiled and waved at her and Doc, his long legs carrying him toward them.
The butterflies in her belly swarmed, leaving her a bit nauseous. God, he was gorgeous, and the more time she spent with him, the more she was beginning to believe him to be as gorgeous on the inside.
But no one was perfect. His playboy lifestyle aside, there had to be at least one major flaw somewhere. Oh, please let there be a major flaw and let her discover it soon.
Her confusion must have shown on her face. Doc cocked his head. “You didn’t know this was Finn’s camp?”
“He didn’t mention it.” Her eyes continued to follow Finn’s progress across the field.
“Well, that’s Finn.” Doc smiled. “He doesn’t advertise his connection to the camp. We could bring in a lot more money and expand if he did, but in his words, he doesn’t want it to turn into a circus. The personalized atmosphere here is essential to the success of the program. For many of these kids, it’s the first time in their lives anyone has given them individual attention. He’s not willing to risk that by attaching his name.”
A stray pass bounced to the ground several feet behind Finn. He stopped and spun around to pick up the ball. Clutching it in both hands, his big body loosened into the famous Finn form. The muscles of his back and arm bunched and stretched, and the ball sailed from his fingers in a perfect spiral. A thrilled teenager caught the pass thirty yards away.
He continued to jog up the gentle rise to the truck. When he stopped a foot away, his blue laser gaze swept her from feet to face. He lifted a hand to gently tug one of her earlobes.
“You still have your ears. Doc, you must be off your feed.”
Doc snorted in false affront. She came to his defense. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. He shared some of your deep, dark secrets. Thanks for the tour, Doc…and the dirt.”
Pleased, Doc winked at her. “The lunch bell is about to ring. You’re welcome to stay.”
Finn shook his head. “We have another appointment, but thanks.”
Doc snapped his fingers. “I have a receipt for your shelves on my desk. I’ll be right back.” He pivoted for the main building, moving quickly for a man who had to be pushing seventy.
“What dirt?” Finn demanded the moment the screen door banged shut.
She wanted to snicker with laughter at the focused concentration on his handsome face. Instead, she gave him a silent, serene smile.
“What dirt?” He crowded closer until he loomed over her.
“Quit pestering the woman, Finn.” The screen door clacked shut behind Doc. He descended the steps and handed Cara the receipt. “Thanks again for thinking of us. You come back and visit anytime.”
She bent to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Doc. I just might do that.”
“You made a fan for life.” Finn announced a few minutes later as he guided the truck down the dirt path to the road.
“I like him.” She smiled, realizing it was true. “He has a heart for the kids here and it shows.”
He nodded. “He’s tough, but he has a way with the boys.” He turned the truck onto the country road. “He’s made a difference in a lot of troubled kids’ lives.”
He’s not the only one. But she kept the thought to herself. If Finn wanted to keep his altruistic acts quiet, she would respect his wishes.
“What dirt?” he asked again, and she didn’t fight the laugh this time.
“Paranoid, Finnegan?”
“Persistent.”
That persistence made her wonder just what kind of dirt he was worried about. “Why don’t you tell me what you think he told me, and I’ll tell you if you’re right.”
“Oh ho.” His low chuckled danced over her nerve endings. “Beautiful and sneaky. A deadly combination. I like it.” She snorted. He cajoled. “Come on, O’Shea.”
“Give it up, Finnegan.” She smiled. “I know how to keep a secret.”
His narrowed eyes sparkled with challenging humor. “I’ll have to dig up some dirt on you, and then we’ll see how well you keep secrets.”
“Good luck with that.” She smirked and crossed her arms, confident that wouldn’t happen.
“I’m Erin’s favorite new cousin. She’ll give up the goods.” He grinned at her sudden frown.
She wouldn’t put it past her sister to give Finn any dirt she recalled, just for the entertainment value. Not that there was any dirt to be told, other than mooning over him most of her life, which Erin didn’t know about, thank God. Cara couldn’t think of anything embarrassing enough to be concerned over. He already knew about the most embarrassing moment of her life. He witnessed it, and she had learned enough about him to come to the conclusion he wasn’t cruel. He hadn’t mentioned that night and wouldn’t.
Confidence made her smile smug. “I’m an open book, Finnegan. Dig all you want.”
****
Finn waited until she disappeared inside her studio before pulling onto the road. She had been truly relaxed for the first time since he met her, talking, laughing, and trading quips. With her usual hostility on hold, he’d gotten a glimpse of the woman behind the prickly mask she wore. He was determined to see more.
Damn, he wanted to kiss her again. Only the memory of the edgy panic in her wide eyes after the last time, kept him from acting on the desire, but it wasn’t in his nature to wait very long for something he wanted. He wanted Cara O’Shea.
It pleased him inordinately to learn she had watched him on the field occasionally. And wasn’t that sad? He would take any attention he could get from her, even if it was from years earlier. Damn, he was pitiful. He consoled himself with the knowledge that he had her attention now, and he meant to have a lot more of it before he was through.
Chapter Thirteen
Dappled sunlight skittered and danced through the trees as Cara slipped on a pair of oversized sunglasses and crossed the grassy lawn of Cookson Park. Fifty yards away, Tom paced beneath a grand maple, its mighty arms spread wide to embrace the warm summer afternoon. She swallowed against surging nerves as he swiped at his brow with a handkerchief before tucking it back in the pocket of his light-weight dress slacks.
Though she wasn’t late, he twisted his wrist to check his watch. Was he nervous, or did he think she wouldn’t show? The latter probably, considering he’d all but bullied her into this meeting and agreeing to meet with him was more than she had given him in years.
She studied him as she drew near. Other than his graying hair, which had once been the same dark red as her own, he’d changed little in her absence. He still sported the strong physique she remembered, with wide shoulders and the muscled arms she’d run to as a child. From the time she could remember, she’d trusted him to always make things right in her world.
She’d been shattered when he betrayed that trust.
Unlike Shan and Erin, who resembled the petite Mary in looks and build, Cara was pure Tom, including his unusual height. At six foot six, he had first-hand knowledge of what she went through as a child, always being the tallest kid in class. They shared a special bond. Even when no one else understood, he always did.
When she was struggling through her teenage years, and her curvy body developed and began to draw the interest of males on a regular basis, he’d stepped in numerous times to glare down young, or not so young, would-be bucks. She eventually found her own way to handle the unwanted attention, mostly by pretending to ignore the blatant stares and the suggestive comments. In addition, she did her best to avoid drawing attention by dressing in curve concealing clothes, and hiding out with her paintbrushes and easels.
But through it all, Tom had been so much more to her than a loving father. He’d been her own personal superhero.
He ripped the rug out from under her when he turned out to be less than perfect.
For the past eight years, she avoided all but the most obligatory contact with him, and he had let her, but she was back now and living in the same small town. It was inevitable their lives would intertwine, whether she wished so or not. Logic said it was necessary they come to some kind of workable solution to their estrangement, but the heart didn’t always adhere to logic.
Relief and nerves flooded his familiar face when he spotted her walking toward him. She stopped several feet away.
His smile was strained but hopeful. “Thank you for coming.”
“I said I would.”
“Thank you, anyway.” He gestured to the bench behind him. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Cara mine.” She didn’t pull away from his touch when he brushed his knuckles against her cheek, but she didn’t speak either. He sighed. “I hurt you. I hurt Mary and your sisters, and I live with that knowledge every day. I can’t change what happened, but if I can convince you of anything, I would hope it would be that I love all of you, and knowing I’ve caused you hurt is a cross I’ll bear until the day I die.”
“You love all of us,” she murmured. “You love Ma, so you snuck around and slept with another woman. Yeah, Daddy. I can see how much you love us.”
Ruddy color crept into his cheeks and his voice went sharp. “Hold it, little girl. I know you’re hurt and angry, and you’re entitled to feel that way, but the situation is complicated enough without you questioning my love for you. I do love you, more than my own life. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Matching his angry stare, she lifted her chin. “Then tell me why, Daddy, because I don’t understand how you could have done what you did, if you love us the way you say you do.”
His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t argue her point. “Will you sit?”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Do you mind if I do?” She shook her head. He sank to the bench and sucked air through his teeth. “I met Hannah my senior year of high school.”
Cara crossed her arms. “Ma mentioned something like that.
His eyes widened briefly in surprise. “I met her on Labor Day, the day before school began my senior year. She had just moved to town and came up to the soda counter at the diner where I was working. She ordered a coke. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.”
Pain pierced Cara’s heart, making breathing difficult. She lifted her head to the breeze and turned her back on him. Moving over to the tree several feet away, she wrapped one arm around the broad trunk and leaned against it.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Cara. I’m trying to explain,” he said softly. She didn’t reply. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued. “Hannah’s father had just been killed in a boating accident, and she and her mother moved back to town to live with Hanna’s grandparents. The Dunns were the richest family in town. She came into the diner with her mother. The woman stunk of old money. Her mother didn’t even see me as I filled their orders. I was a seventeen-year-old kid, working at a soda counter. So far beneath her notice, it was as if I weren’t there. Hannah noticed me, though. She smiled and thanked me when I handed her their drinks. You can’t imagine how surprised and thrilled I was the next morning when I walked into class and there was Hannah, sitting in the front row. She smiled at me as I walked passed her to my desk, and I was lost.”
Cara dug her nails into the trunk of the tree and squeezed her eyes shut.
“From that point on we were inseparable, much to her mother’s frustration. She forbade Hannah from seeing me, but we were in love. Hannah defied her mother, sneaking out to be with me every chance she got. My eighteenth birthday came, and we made plans to sneak off and get married the day she turned eighteen as well.”
Married? Cara’s eyes popped open and she swung her head around to stare at him. He gazed off into the distance as though reliving the past.
“Then, three weeks before her birthday, Hannah disappeared. I was frantic. I went to the big house where she lived with her mother and grandparents. Her mother was expecting me. She met me at the door, informing me that Hannah had gone to live with her grandparents on their estate somewhere in the Caribbean.”
He sat forward, propping his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling between them. He dropped his gaze to stare at the ground. The despondency of the motion sliced at her heart. She pushed away from the tree and crossed the grassy path to sit beside him on the bench. He turned his head to look at her and there was hell in his eyes.
“I was eighteen, Cara mine. I had no money and no way of tracking her down.” He slumped back against the bench and stared up through the branches of the tree. “I knew in my heart she would never have left without a word. Not unless she was forced. But after six months, I had no choice but to accept I was never going to see her again. I still had my scholarship, and when fall came, I packed up my belongings and went to college. You’ve heard the story of how your mother and I met. I was given a second chance at love when I met your mother, but I never could forget Hannah.”
Straightening, he laid his hand on hers where she held them clenched on her lap. “You’ve never been in love, so you can’t understand the strength of that first time. Your mother and I made a life together, and when you girls came along, I knew I’d been given a gift beyond measure. I loved Mary. I still do. How could I not? But the love I have for her isn’t the same as the soul stealing need buried deep in my heart for the girl I had thought to spend my life with, only to have her stolen from me before we ever had a chance to begin that life.”
He patted her hand before moving his own away. Shoving his fingers through his hair in agitation, he leaned his elbows on his knees once more and stared toward a young family in the distance. “Fate stepped in when I bought the accounting agency here in Palmerton. I placed an ad in the town paper for a secretary. Hannah answered the ad. It was hard to tell which of us was more shocked. She hadn’t known I was the new owner and stopped in the office to fill out an application. She walked in the open doorway, stood in the middle of the office, and started to cry. That day was one of the best, and worst, of my life.”
Cara sucked in a ragged breath. “Why hadn’t she ever gotten in touch with you?”
“She was just a girl when her family whisked her off to the Virgin Islands. She managed to get to a phone once, but before she could reach me, she was discovered by her grandmother. They watched her from then on. The next few years weren’t easy for her.”
Cara stifled a snort. The last eight years hadn’t exactly been a picnic for Ma and the rest of them. “How so?”
He sighed, but held her demanding gaze. “The experiences of those years were Hannah’s own personal hell, and aren’t mine to share, even to win your sympathy. I’ve experienced her family first hand. Suffice to say, they’re a viciously controlling, cruel bunch. She did what they told her. She went to school, got her degree in business, and when she graduated, they set up a job for her here in the states with her family’s financial firm. They put her on a plane back to Maine. When it landed in New York, she didn’t get on the connecting flight. She simply walked away. By that time, I had met and married your mother. When Hannah managed to make her way back to Maine and learned I’d married, she left the area and her family, and never returned. She eventually settled here in Palmerton.”
