Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero by Margaret Daley Page A

rubbed the leg that had been in a cast the week before. “Boy, I can attest to that.”
    She chuckled, glad he was putting the conversation on a light note. Searching her refrigerator, she came up with the makings for ham and cheese sandwiches.
    “Can I help?”
    “You can set the table while I make the sandwiches. The plates and glasses are over there, and the silverware is in that drawer.” Tess pointed with the tip of a butter knife.
    While she prepared their light dinner, she listened to Mac move about her kitchen as though he had visited her often and knew where everything was. Again the impression he was comfortable, at home in her apartment besieged her. That thought brought a halt to her movements as she slid a glance at the man who dominated any room he entered. He filled the space with his muscled body, but mostly his presence radiated confidence and determination. He had a direction to his life that Tess envied. Once she’d had a path to follow, but she’d lost her way.
    “The coffee’s done. Do you want any?”
    His question broke into her thoughts. “Yes, please.” She hurried to finish the sandwiches, realizing she was thinking too much.
    When she sat at the table, the scent of brewed coffee wafted to her. She inhaled the fragrance, much too aware of the man next to her. After adding sugar to the coffee in her mug, she lifted it to her lips and took a sip.
    He picked up the salt and pepper shakers and examined them. “Clowns. My daughter would like these.”
    “Most kids respond to clowns.”
    “Is that why you started your clown therapy?”
    “Yes. I wanted a way to take their minds off why they were in the hospital. Most of the time I succeed.” Tess began to eat her sandwich, enjoying the sharp taste of aged Cheddar cheese and the tang of the mustard.
    “But not all the time?”
    “Every once and a while I run across a tough cookie.”
    “Like Johnny?”
    “Yeah, he’s been a challenge.”
    “He’s had a lot of hard knocks for a ten-year-old.” Mac popped a potato chip into his mouth, then took a bite of the ham and cheese.
    “I just hope Mrs. Hocks finds a relative for him to live with.”
    “Who’s Mrs. Hocks?” Mac washed his meal down with a swallow of coffee.
    “His case manager.”
    “What’s gonna happen to him in the meantime?”
    “He’ll live with a foster family. He leaves the hospital on Monday afternoon.”
    “What does Johnny think about that?”
    “He tells me he would rather be on the street taking care of himself.”
    “Do you believe him?”
    Tess tilted her head to the side and thought about the last time she saw Johnny, his mouth set in a defiant frown. “Yes, I’m afraid he believes he’s better off by himself. He’s been shuffled between foster parents before.”
    “Then, do you think he’ll run away?”
    “He has a habit of doing that when faced with something he doesn’t like.”
    Mac speared her with a sharp gaze. “Most people do.”
    She was close to squirming under his unrelenting stare. She felt as if he had delved into her mind and glimpsed her innermost thoughts. She dropped her glance to her plate and fingered what was left of her sandwich. “Sometimes running away is the best thing for a person. The only thing.”
    “Do you really believe that? Do you think that’s what’s best for Johnny?”
    She lifted her gaze to his probing one. “No, it isn’t. He needs a home, someone to love him. But he doesn’t need to be shuffled between different foster parents just because he may be a little difficult.”
    “I agree.” Picking up his half-eaten sandwich, Mac took another big bite and chewed slowly, the whole time his attention fixed on her face, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
    She blushed, wishing she could read what was in his mind. Or maybe she didn’t want to. The flare of interest was more than she could handle. She wanted no complications in her life, and Peter MacPherson was definitely a complication. She looked away