Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods Page A

her disapproval of her son’s tone, Maddie couldn’t help wondering the same thing Tyler had asked: knowing how his kids felt about her, why would Bill send Noreen in his place? Even as she tried to soothe her daughter, she pinned Noreen with an accusing look.
    “Where is their father?” she asked.
    “Bill was tied up at the hospital,” Noreen explained, clearly shaken by Tyler’s verbal attack and Maddie’s cold reception. “He asked me to pick up the kids. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
    “Well, you can forget it,” Tyler said. “We’re not going anywhere with you!”
    “Tyler!” Maddie said sharply. She kept her gaze on Noreen’s face, trying very hard not to let it stray to her protruding belly. “Obviously, this was a bad idea. Tell Bill he’ll have to arrange another time to see the kids.”
    “But I don’t understand,” Noreen said. “Saturday afternoon is his time. It says so in the divorce settlement. He went over all the terms with me.”
    “That’s right,” Maddie agreed. “It’s his time, not yours. Now I think you should go. Your presence here is clearly upsetting my children.”
    “Please,” Noreen said. “Can’t we talk about this? I’m just giving them a ride, Maddie. Bill will be really upset if he misses his time with them.”
    “He’ll just have to get over it,” Maddie said, refusing to back down. “Maybe next time he’ll arrange to be here himself.”
    For an instant, she almost felt sorry for the other woman. Maybe it was of her own doing, but even Maddie could recognize that Noreen was caught in an impossible situation.
    Noreen’s lower lip trembled. “I just don’t get why they hate me so much,” she said miserably.
    Maddie looked at her son. “Tyler, take Katie in the kitchen and get yourselves a snack, please.”
    “But, Mom,” he began. At a warning glance from her, he sighed and took Katie from her arms.
    When Maddie was certain they were out of hearing, she turned back to Noreen. “You’re a pediatrics nurse, Noreen. Surely you must have taken some child psychology courses.”
    Noreen nodded. “Yes, but I still don’t get it. Whenever they stopped by the office to see their dad, they were always such great kids. I thought they liked me.”
    “I’m sure they did when they thought of you as their father’s nurse, ” Maddie said.
    When Noreen still looked confused, Maddie added, “I’m sure Bill will explain it to you. He used to have a functioning brain and at least a tiny bit of sensitivity.”
    Satisfied that the barb had hit its mark, she quietly closed the door in the woman’s face, then went to deal with her kids.
    In the kitchen, she pulled Katie onto her lap, then tried to compose herself before facing Ty.
    “Young man, if I ever hear you speak to another adult the way you spoke to Noreen just now, you’ll be grounded for a month.”
    Ty looked as if she’d slapped him. “She had no business coming here,” he said defensively.
    “That’s not the point. We’ve had this conversation before, but you don’t seem to have gotten the message. My children are respectful of adults, period.”
    “Even when they’re nothing but—”
    “Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” she told him. “Go upstairs and check on your brother while I try to get Katie calmed down.”
    A half hour later she was physically and emotionally drained from walking the tightrope between what she knew was right and the vicious words she wanted to utter herself. She needed a break and the kids needed a distraction. Bracing herself for a slew of questions she didn’t want to answer, she called her mother. If she’d been willing to babysit once, maybe she could be persuaded to do it again.
    “What’s wrong?” Paula Vreeland asked the second she heard Maddie’s strained voice.
    “What makes you think something’s wrong?” she said. That was the way her relationship with her mother went. Even the most innocent question had a way of getting her