The Super Mum

Olivia and Michael, who were watching TV, looked interested when Angela introduced David. After she explained they were going to go sledding, they gave a “whoop” and ran to their rooms to dress warmly.

Standing in the foyer, she called up the stairs. “Anthony. Come here a minute, will you? Mr. Moore is here.”

Anthony came to the top of the stairs and gazed down at her and David.

“Come on down,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t be rude. She’d been firmer with him since the day he’d locked himself in his room, and he wasn’t happy about it.

When he reached the bottom step, David extended his hand to him. “Hi, I’m David Moore.”

“I don’t need anyone to take me to the movies or treat me like a kid,” Anthony said defensively.

“I guess you don’t. And you’re old enough to know what you want to do. But I thought all of us could try out this snow. I put tubes in the back of my SUV and I’ve got a toboggan, too. Or, you can take your own sled. I thought we’d all go.”

Anthony looked at his mother. “You’re going to go sledding?”

“I just might. I’m not over the hill yet.” She didn’t know why she’d said that.

“You could break something,” Anthony mumbled.

David laughed. “Maybe you and I will just have to make sure she doesn’t.”

It was obvious that Anthony was fighting a battle within. He didn’t want to go along with David, but he liked the idea of sledding. Or tubing. Or tobogganing. “Olivia and Michael are going, too?”

“Sure. We can all use the fresh air,” Angela remarked, as if it weren’t a big thing to go on a family outing. They rarely did that anymore. Since Jerome left, outings emphasized his absence. Not that he’d been great at family activities. When they were married, he’d worked late and had always done his own thing on weekends.

It had taken Angela too long to catch on to what her husband’s own thing was. But she had caught on and had confronted him with a woman’s bracelet she’d found in the pocket of his suit jacket. Then her next-door neighbor, Judith Martin, had told her she’d seen Jerome and a redhead having a late dinner at Entrée, a trendy restaurant in town that another one of her neighbor’s owned. Jerome had insisted it was a business dinner, but she’d figured otherwise. He’d taken the woman to that particular restaurant so it would get back to her. He’d wanted out. She’d suggested counseling, but he’d just laughed, hurting her big-time when he admitted he wasn’t meant to be monogamous—it simply wasn’t in his nature.

When he’d left that evening, he’d seemed happy about changing his life. She’d cried herself to sleep every night for about two weeks. Then, after a heart-to-heart with her sister, she’d known she was better off without him. He’d chipped off a piece of her heart, though, and although it had been three years, the wound hadn’t completely healed.

“Do you know where my boots are?” Anthony asked, being practical.

“I think they’re in the basement. While you change, I’ll get them. Tell Olivia and Michael to put sweaters on under their parkas.”

Anthony made a face, then ran up the stairs.

By the time Angela found the kids’ boots and her own, David was back in the kitchen, shedding his coat. “If I help you, we’ll get out of here sooner—before Anthony changes his mind.”

The truth was, she wasn’t used to having a man in her kitchen anymore. Since her divorce, she’d become independent in every sense of the word and in every part of her life.

“What would you like to help with?” she asked cautiously.

“I make great hot chocolate, with milk and an instant mix. Is that what you were planning on doing?”

“Actually, it was.” When she smiled at him, she felt that heart-twirling sensation again.

Trying to chill, trying to ignore tingles running through the body she no longer knew, she motioned to a lower cupboard. “Saucepan is down there. Hot chocolate mix is in that jar.” She pointed to a mason jar on the counter next to a row of ceramic canisters.

When she reached above her to get a thermos from the upper cupboard, she had to stand on her tiptoes. But the thermos was pushed back on the shelf, just out of her reach.

“Here, let me.” He was behind her then, and she could feel the strength of him…the heat of him…smell his limy scent as he reached above her.

“I’m too short,” she mumbled. “Megan can reach up there. She must have put it there.”

“Megan?”

“She’s my sister. She lives in the apartment above the garage. She usually helps me with the kids, but she’s away on business now. My neighbor across the street has been helping out.”

When he lowered the thermos, he set it on the counter, and they were very close, his elbow brushing hers.

She had to get a grip. She was going to be in the presence of this man the whole afternoon, and she couldn’t act like an idiot.

“I noticed Anthony’s name is different from yours.”

Making the decision to take back her maiden name hadn’t been easy, because she hadn’t wanted to affect the kids, who had of course kept Jerome’s surname of Buffington. But she’d needed that piece of paper reiterating her independence in that way, too. “I took back my maiden name after my divorce.”

“Bitter divorce?”

“It could have been more amicable, I guess, but we tried to put the kids first.”

“But now your ex-husband isn’t putting the kids first?”

This man was a stranger, yet he deserved to understand the situation so he could relate to Anthony. “Jerome isn’t the most dependable man on earth. He’s missed his last two dates with the kids. Anthony, especially, has reacted to that. I’m afraid he thinks his dad doesn’t love him. I’ve called Jerome and left messages but he doesn’t call back. The truth is—I think he sees my number on his caller ID and ignores us.”

“And this is why you called the community center?”

“We had an incident earlier in the week. Anthony locked himself in his room. A neighbor suggested the Big Brother program. I’m willing to try anything. I don’t want him to turn into a defiant teenager.”

Nodding solemnly, David moved a few steps away to retrieve the packets of hot chocolate.

Angela felt as if she could breathe again.

Now that he knew something about her, she wanted to know more than statistics about him. “Is your family around here?”

After a moment’s hesitation, he explained, “My dad lives about an hour north and I have a sister another half hour from there. I don’t see them as much as I should.”

“I know what you mean. Life gets too busy. Since Megan got engaged, I don’t see as much of her as I used to.”

“That happened recently?”

“July. She and Greg are getting married on New Year’s Eve.” Angela sighed. “I’m going to miss her when she moves out.”

“Is she moving far away?”

“No, they’ll be staying in Rosewood. But…it won’t be the same. She was a great support after my divorce. She’s my best friend.”

He was listening to her, looking at her as if he understood every word she said. When had a man ever listened to her? Really listened?

He’s younger than you, a scolding voice in her head warned her. And you have three kids, it added, as if the age difference weren’t enough.

However, David was looking at her as if they were the only two people on earth. Her fingers practically itched to sift through his brown blond hair that fell rakishly over his brow. The scent of his aftershave drew her closer, as did the gold sparks in his hazel eyes.

He lifted his arm…

Was he going to touch her cheek? Was he going to bend his head and kiss her?

The zip of sexual attraction bounced between them as she waited breathlessly.

Chapter Two

David knew he had to deep-six any desire he felt for this woman. Escaping from whatever had come over him, he straightened and took a healthy step away from her. “I’d better get the milk going.”

She blinked those very blue eyes at him. What was it about Angela Schumacher that got to him?

“Sure.” A look of self-protective pride spread over her face, mixing with another emotion. Disappointment maybe?

They weren’t going to talk about what almost happened. That would make it more real. At this point, he could turn off his attraction to her and set himself on the right course. He was here because of her son.

End of story.

She busied herself wrapping cookies in tin foil. “Sledding will be a real treat for the kids today. Last year we only went twice. Did you go often as a kid?”

The questions about his background shouldn’t have thrown him, but they did. He didn’t know how much he wanted to reveal. It wasn’t as if he had anything to hide—his life was an open book, if anybody wanted to look. But his life hadn’t ended up where he thought it would, and there had been disappointments along the way for him, as well as his family.

“We lived on a farm, so there were a lot of places to go sledding.”

“What kind of farm?” She looked genuinely interested.

“A dairy farm. Dad still keeps it all running, but I don’t know how much longer he can do that.”

“What about your mom?”

“She died when I was in my teens—of ovarian cancer.”

“I’m so sorry. Losing a parent is rough. My parents were divorced, and I didn’t see my dad much after that. It’s not nearly the same thing, but it’s why I know how Anthony feels,” she said.

“We’ll see if we can’t do something about that, starting today.”

The smile she gave him tightened his gut and made other physical reactions start happening, too. He wondered if she knew what a powerful punch she packed as a woman.

He was going to stay out of striking range.

By the time he and Angela finished in the kitchen, the kids were dressed and ready to go. Anthony wasn’t coming anywhere near David, but that was okay.

Angela had taken a few minutes to slip into ski pants and a jacket. The outfit was a brilliant turquoise with a yellow stripe. She was petite but not demure. Feminine, yet not passive. He thought of the fiancée who’d left him because his career had been ruined…because she’d wanted some of the fame his dad had dreamed of for him. Jessica’s leaving while he’d worked in rehab to regain use of his leg had seemed like a crushing defeat. Fate double dealing him. At twenty-eight, he still couldn’t figure out women, and for the past couple of years had stopped trying. He dated, but never seriously. Sometimes he felt as if he were out of step with the rest of the men of his generation who hopped from one woman’s bed to another, as if sex and relationships were some kind of game. Maybe it was his upbringing, but he’d never felt like that.

A half hour later, as David unloaded his toboggan from the rack on his SUV, he saw Angela lifting a saucer from her van. Michael grabbed it and, struggling with it, took off through the cluster of kids and adults at the top of the hill.

“Michael, wait,” Angela called after him.

David hollered over to her, “I’ll watch out for him. Take your time.” He started off toward Michael.

Soon he was aware of Anthony following, a good ten feet behind him. This Big Brother thing was going to be a hard sell. But if he didn’t push, the nine-year-old might come around. Most kids did because they missed the male figure in their life who wasn’t there anymore…because they felt as if a piece of their life was missing.

The next hour seemed to fly by in a mixture of runs down the hill, trudges back up, laughter and adrenaline rushes—mostly because of getting too close to Angela, not the speed of sledding down the hill.

Anthony just sort of buzzed around at a distance, giving David curious looks now and then, acting sullen and withdrawn otherwise. He’d met up with a friend, and at one point the two boys had joined David on the toboggan. Afterward, Anthony had gone his way again. As Angela kept a close eye on everyone, David noticed she oversaw the outing but didn’t sled herself. Did she feel she couldn’t have fun when the kids were around?

Although she was holding a cup of hot chocolate and breathing in the warmth, her nose and cheeks were red. They’d have to leave soon.

In spite of an inner voice telling him to stay removed, David approached her. “How about taking a run down the hill with me?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered politely.

“Are you afraid I’ll dump you in the snow?”

She gave him a genuine smile. “Maybe. I’m not a speed junkie.”

“You don’t like roller coasters?”

“I avoid them at all costs. I turn an ugly shade of green.”

“I doubt that. Come on. You need to show your kids you can join in the fun.”

“I do?” She looked a bit defensive.

“Sure. I think one of the reasons kids keep a distance from their parents is because they think their parents were never kids. Or have forgotten what it was like to be a kid.”

As she gazed out over the snow-covered vista and the pines beyond, she seemed to think that over. Her focus went to Olivia, who was tubing down the hill with a friend. Then she concentrated on Michael, who was in his own world, spinning his saucer on a snow patch. Anthony had taken his sled and was doing belly flops down the hill.

A tall man had arrived a few minutes ago with his daughter, and Angela had spoken to him for a while. David had definitely noticed. That same man was standing by a picnic table, watching his daughter, who was sledding with Olivia.

“Hey, Jack,” Angela called to him. “Can you keep an eye on my kids for a few minutes?”

“No problem,” he called back.

She turned back to David, “All right,” she agreed. “One run.”

“You have to smile, so they think you’re having fun even when you’re not.”

She laughed, and he liked the sound of it. He liked her.

A few minutes later he was positioning the toboggan. “It’ll be easier if I hop on first. Then you slide back between my legs.”

Her eyes grew a bit bluer and wider, and for a moment she looked as if she wanted to run. Maybe he’d been wrong about a mutual attraction. Maybe it had been wishful thinking.

“This will be over quicker than you can say your name.” He hopped on before she could change her mind, then motioned in front of him.

After brief moments of hesitation, she sat at the foot of the toboggan, then levered herself backward until she was between his legs, closer to his chest.

He realized he was going to have to put his arms around her to guide the toboggan, unless she wanted to handle steering. “If you want me to guide the sled, I’m going to have to put my arms around you and take hold of the lead.”

“Fine,” came her small low voice.

This had been such a bad idea. His knees were lodged against her hips. After he slid forward, his arms went around her and he felt her tense. But then she handed him the rope.

“Stay loose,” he warned her, his chin practically touching her shoulder. “If we do capsize, it’ll make the tumble easier.”

“Do I really want to do this?” she muttered, looking toward heaven.

His arms were under hers now. In spite of the cold he felt the warmth from her body, the heat of whatever sexual attraction was zipping between them. It wasn’t one-sided.

She wore a pull-on knit cap, and it almost touched his nose as he used his leg to push them off. “Hold on,” he suggested as they tilted over the crest of the hill and began their descent.

She did hold on. Her hands clasped his arms, and the rush of wind, the bite of cold rising from the snow, the accelerated speed as they picked up velocity, weren’t as thrilling as having this woman in his arms. As they flew down the hill, she lay into his chest. He leaned forward to protect her. The ride was exhilarating. Her perfume mingling with the pine and winter was intoxicating. The rush that went through him surpassed anything he’d ever felt on the football field. That was most surprising of all. He’d thought he’d lost that adrenaline lift forever. But here it was today, because of Angela Schumacher.

The ride was over as quickly as it had begun. One moment the toboggan was speeding, the downhill slope propelling it. The next they were coasting to a stop.

Neither of them spoke or moved, although other sleds and tubes careered down the hill around them. Riders jumped off, grabbed their leads and marched up the hill again for another run.

But David and Angela just sat there.

“That was something,” he said just to get her to talk.

When she glanced over her shoulder, their faces were very close. “It was indescribable.”

Her lips were so prettily curved, her chin as petite and delicate as the rest of her. He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to take another ride like that. But if he did, he’d ruin his chance to get to know Anthony. He’d ruin their chances of maybe becoming friends. He’d ruin the path he’d set for himself to make success a priority, his store and working with kids all the purpose in life he needed.

He inched back away from her. “I’m glad you liked it.”

When she saw he was extricating himself, she slid forward and then climbed to her feet. Slapping her hands together to warm them, she grimaced. “I think it’s time to go. The kids have got to be as cold as I am.”

He wasn’t cold at all because of the fire that had started burning inside of him—a fire he knew could only lead to trouble. “Maybe we could round them up and have more of that hot chocolate. Anthony hasn’t even looked me directly in the eyes yet today, and I’d like to accomplish at least that much.”

“Hot chocolate it is. I think there are a few cookies left, too.”

They began trudging up the hill. The snow was wearing an icy sheen from the movement of the sleds on top of it. Near the top, one of Angela’s booted feet slipped.

Before she could topple sideways, David wrapped an arm around her. They were body to body again, and he wondered if he should have just let her fall.

But he couldn’t have done that.

As soon as she regained her balance, she pushed away. “Thanks,” she mumbled, negotiating the rest of the climb herself.

David was beginning to see that Angela Schumacher was a modern day, independent woman.

Maybe.

Jessica had taught him that actions weren’t always a good indicator of what was going on inside a woman’s head. After the accident that had killed one of his friends and ruined his career, she could have earned an Academy Award for her smiling visits of support, the cards she sent him in rehab, the telephone calls that had assured him he’d be on top of the world again in no time.

The day after the accident, everyone had known his NFL dreams were dust. Including Jessica. Maybe she really hadn’t known how she’d felt. Maybe she’d been trying out a role to see how it fit. Maybe she hadn’t felt any love at all, but had simply wanted to ride his jersey into a life of fame, fortune, big houses and luxurious cars. She’d walked away because she’d signed up for a fiancé different from the one she’d gotten.

Loyalty and promises kept were rare commodities these days.

Angela was shaking when she reached the top of the hill. Her trembling had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with David Moore. Teenage crushes were long ago and far away and had no right to reach out and grab her now. Just because his eyes seemed to swallow her up. Just because his smile made her toes curl. Just because he listened as if she really had something to say. None of that could excuse this reaction.

Olivia came running over to her.

With a nonchalance she wished she could feel, David offered, “I’ll round up Michael and Anthony and stow their gear.”

“I’ll warm up the van and get out the snacks.”

As Olivia dragged her tube behind her, they walked toward the van in the parking lot. “Do we have to go home?”

“Sure do. You’re going to turn into an icicle otherwise.”

When Angela pressed the remote to open the doors, Olivia asked, “How did it feel going down the hill with Coach Moore?”

What should a mother say to that? “It was over so fast I hardly remember it.”

Liar, an inner voice accused.

“He’s a real hottie, isn’t he?”

Angela just stared at her daughter. She was only seven, for goodness sakes. “Where do you pick up this language?”

“I watch TV,” her daughter said impishly, then added, “I hear the middle-school girls talking on the bus. Everybody does. I don’t live in a bubble, Mom.”

Whatever happened to seven-year-olds playing with baby dolls, putting puzzles together or skipping rope with friends? Even Olivia wanted an MP3 player for Christmas, and Angela had no doubts she probably knew how to use one.

Still with that grin, her daughter added, “I think you like him.”

Oh, terrific! Apparently her reactions to the man were obvious even to Olivia.

“Coach Moore is going to spend some time with Anthony, I hope. That’s it.”

“You don’t want to go out with him?” Olivia asked with her eyes narrowing.

“Of course not. When would I even have time?” She dropped her arm around Olivia’s shoulders. “I’ve got a life daughter, dear. I’ve got you and Anthony and Michael. What more do I need?”

“You still miss Daddy, don’t you?”

As always, when her kids asked a question like that, Angela paid complete attention. Dropping down to Olivia’s eye level she admitted, “I miss what we once had. I miss another adult in the house to talk to…someone I’m connected with in a special way. But I can’t control what your dad does. I wish he’d visit with all of you more, but he’s trying to get a new business up and running, and that keeps him busy.” At least that was the excuse Jerome was giving. It was also his excuse for not sending timely child support payments.

“I miss Daddy, but I don’t miss you and him arguing about him never being there.”

Kids saw and heard everything and she had to remind herself of that every day. “Things are just different now. We’re a different kind of family. And that’s okay.”

“So…” Olivia drawled. “Don’t you want to go to the movies or something with Coach Moore?”

“No,” Angela returned, straightening. “That’s not on the agenda. As I said, he’s going to be Anthony’s friend. Then maybe your brother won’t be so miserable all the time.”

“Yeah. Then maybe he’ll stay out of my room.”

Ten minutes later they were inside the van, drinking hot chocolate and munching on chocolate chip cookies. David had encouraged Olivia to take the front seat beside her mom while he sat in back of Angela and Anthony sat beside him. Of his own accord, Michael had crawled into the van’s third seat. They’d left the door open a bit on Anthony’s side.

“Your mom makes great cookies,” David commented.

“Some moms don’t bake at all,” Olivia remarked over her shoulder, sounding shocked, as if that was inconceivable.

Suddenly one of Anthony’s friends was standing at the van door.

“Hi, Simon,” Angela greeted him. Simon was in Anthony’s class and also had played Little League with him.

Simon pointed to David. “My dad says he played for the NFL.”

Anthony cut a sideways glance to David. “You didn’t tell me that. Is that true?”

Angela was all ears herself.

“I was drafted by the NFL and I went to training camp, but I never got a chance to play. I was in a car accident that messed up my leg.”

“That was rotten luck,” Simon stated emphatically. “My dad says you’re a great coach, now, though. The Raiders won almost all their games.”

“Your dad must be a football fan.”

“He’s always in front of the TV watching sports of some kind. Mom doesn’t like it. That’s why she said we’re gonna cut down a Christmas tree tomorrow, and he has to go along.”

“That’d be neat to cut down a Christmas tree,” Anthony said wistfully.

Angela saw David studying her son. Then he said, “I’m great with a saw. If you and your mom want to pick out a tree, I could cut it down for you.”

“Can we do that, Mom?” Anthony asked, excited.