The Deputy's New Family. Jenna Mindel
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Название: The Deputy's New Family
Автор: Jenna Mindel
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
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She wasn’t stupid. Beth knew mutual attraction when she saw it. When she felt it. There was no way she’d let herself get romantically involved with this man. Not when Beth knew how quickly his life could be snuffed out.
“I want to ask you a favor.”
Beth tipped her head. Sounded like a big favor, too. “What’s that?”
“Will you tutor Corey in reading?”
Beth stood straight and stepped away from her car. Away from him. He made her dizzy.
“I’ll pay you, of course. Whatever it takes.” He straightened, as well.
Beth whirled around. “I can’t accept your money. I won’t. He’s my student. It’s my job to help where I can....”
“But?”
She looked Nick in the eyes. So easy to do. “Repeating second grade might be the best thing for Corey. Have you considered that? He’s new—it’s not like there’s peer pressure to deal with. Not yet. He could even go to the other second-grade class so I’m not his teacher.”
“It’s not the best thing. Not for Corey. And not for me.”
Beth felt her spine stiffen. “That sounds like pride talking.”
Nick laughed at her then. “Is that what you think?”
She folded her arms across her chest and stared down the deputy officer in front of her, knowing that wasn’t it at all.
“Look, I can work with him all summer long, every single night, but I need a game plan. Something you’re trained to give. All I’m asking is to get him where I can then pick up the slack come summer. Do whatever you need to do, only don’t throw your hands up and recommend he be pushed back a year because there’s only two months left of this one.” Nick’s steely gray eyes showed resolve.
Beth frowned and rubbed her forehead. Corey was already at her house in the evening. She’d have to get it cleared through her boss, but this was a special circumstance. What she did on her own time was her business. In the few days the boy had been with her and her mom, Beth had already come to love the kid. She didn’t want to let him down, either.
She glanced at Nick.
“A big difference can be made in two months.” He gently thumped his ticket pad in his hand. A reminder of the speeding ticket she rightfully deserved.
She laughed. “You know, extortion is illegal.”
He gave her a slow grin that made her heart race. “Blackmail was never my intent.”
Beth felt herself slipping, giving in. “You’ll need to finish Corey’s reading assignments after he leaves my mom’s. And I’m going to hound you.”
“I’ve had worse nightmares.”
She imagined that was true. There was so much strength hidden inside that wiry, well-over-six-foot steel frame of his. And a lot of feelings were locked behind those gray eyes, too.
Beth held out her hand. “I’ll do what I can. Have we got a deal, Mr. Grey?”
“I think we do, Miss Ryken. And we’ll work hard on our end—I promise you that.” He took her hand and held on, wrapping warmth and strength and all kinds of promises in one not-so-simple handshake.
Come up with a plan. Nick had said that days ago and Beth had one. It had been slow coming together between progress reports for her other students and running it by her principal, but she’d done it. She’d even made up a progress booklet for Nick.
She riffled through the papers on her desk—Corey’s papers from his previous school. Corey’s old school reports were as confusing as they were disheartening. The transcripts showed a downward spiral that started before Corey’s mom had died and then plummeted steeply afterward.
“Poor kid.” Beth felt that undeniable pull for the boy.
Corey had been jostled between special reading groups, and he’d been labeled with emotional problems that were never clearly explained. Had no one seen through to the obvious? Corey didn’t have a handle on phonics. Somewhere along the line, he’d missed the mark and by the time his mother had died, his emotional stresses had kicked in and his dwindling grasp on vowel sounds and rules had slipped. It was no wonder he got lost along the way. He’d never mastered how to identify the trail markers.
Well, Beth knew a few things about marking trails. She’d start with flash cards, games, work sheets, whatever it took to get Corey more familiar with identifying sounds. And she had a stack of books for Nick so he could continue working with Corey at home in the evenings and on his days off. If he spent half an hour every day reading with Corey, it’d make a difference.
Beth’s mom even promised to help where she could. The only variable she couldn’t predict was Corey’s reaction. His willingness to learn was key.
She put away the sensitive papers, locked the drawer of her desk and then scooped up her stuff. Exiting her classroom, she spotted the other second-grade teacher, Julie, calling it a day, as well.
“So, Beth, are you up for sailing the Manitous again this year?” Julie’s husband was a hotshot attorney with one sweet sailboat. Gerry was more than the average amateur sailor. Sailing with them had become a tradition and a fun way to celebrate the end of the school year and the start of summer.
“I sure am.” Beth nodded. “Count me in, only please, no setups this year.”
Julie frowned. “Oh, come on, he wasn’t so bad.”
Beth tipped her head. Julie and Gerry had arranged a blind date with a guy from Gerry’s office. He was way too short and arrogant besides.
Julie smiled. “You bring someone, then.”
Beth’s mind immediately shifted to Nick, but that brown uniform he wore made her shake away any thoughts of sunset sailing with the handsome redhead. “We’ll see.”
When Beth made it across the street to her mom’s house, she was armed with phonics lessons. Walking into the living room, she expected to find Corey in front of the TV. Instead he sat at the dining room table across from her mom. The two playing a game of Battleship.
“B-3.” Corey’s hair hung in his eyes.
Beth’s fingers itched to brush the kid’s bangs back, but she remained quiet and watched.
“Nope. Miss.” Her mom wore an evil-looking grin. “My turn. F-8.”
Corey’s face crumpled into irritation. “Hit.”
“I’m home.”
Neither one acknowledged her. They were caught up in the game. And it was close. Each had only one ship left, and Beth’s mom dove СКАЧАТЬ