Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(18)
Author: Brenda Novak

CHAPTER FIVE

EARLY MONDAY morning, Hannah pulled herself away from her work to drive Kenny to the high school for football practice.

“Coach Holbrook will bring you home,” she told him.

“Coach Holbrook?” he echoed in surprise. “Why?”

“Because he’s coming by to pick up one of the dinners I’m trading him for a chair.”

Brent, her younger son, stretched his seatbelt so he could lean closer to her. “Isn’t that the guy in the wheelchair?”

Hannah hated to hear Gabe referred to by his handicap. “Yes. But he’s also the guy who won Most Valuable Player in the NFL two years in a row. Maybe we could use that to set him apart instead, huh?”

“How does he drive?” he asked as though she hadn’t said anything.

“With his hands.” She looked over at Kenny, who was sitting in the passenger seat. His reticence seemed a little unnatural. “You don’t mind riding with him, do you?”

“No,” he grumbled.

“Kenny?”

“That’s fine.”

When they arrived at the high school, Hannah saw Gabe’s truck parked in the lot and was tempted to linger. She wanted to see how Gabe managed his wheelchair on the field. Did he allow anyone to help him? How did he move on the thick turf?

She wondered but didn’t find out because Coach Blaine arrived a moment later, and she didn’t want him or anyone else to see her hanging around. Someone might interpret her interest as doubt in Gabe’s ability. Judging by the cars filling the lot, there were more than enough parents in the stands already. The last thing he needed was a bunch of gawkers.

As she drove toward the exit, she tried to concentrate on other things. It was good to have the boys back. She always breathed easier once they were home. Fortunately, this weekend seemed to have gone smoother than the last time Kenny and Brent were with their father. The news about Brent and the  p**n  movie had upset her so much she’d decided to take her ex back to court. But Kenny insisted that Brent had only seen the cover of the video before Russ whisked it away from both of them.

Hannah suspected that wasn’t the case, but without Kenny’s support, she knew her petition would end in joint custody, like all the others before it. For the moment, she seemed to have no choice but to let the incident go.

Pulling into the lot of the grocery store, Hannah parked, found her list and did her shopping. Then she hurried home.

“Where do you want me to put this?” Brent asked, helping her unload the van.

She glanced at his round face, which was turning red beneath his thick strawberry-blond hair because he’d insisted on carrying the watermelon.

“Over there.” She motioned to the sink, figuring she’d make room for it in the refrigerator after she unloaded the bags of groceries waiting on her counter. Considering the busy day she had ahead of her, she should’ve done her shopping over the weekend. But she’d had trouble deciding on the menu. Gabe was wealthy and famous enough that he’d probably eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world. How would her cooking ever compare? What had she been thinking, offering meals to a man like that?

She’d been thinking of the cleverly-crafted chair on his porch, she reminded herself. But she knew her suggestion had more to do with her conscience than anything else. She was hoping that making his life a little easier would take some of the sting out her regret.

But cooking for him wasn’t as easy as it had sounded when she’d volunteered to do it. She’d already spent two days poring through every cookbook she could find. Nothing seemed good enough. Finally, she’d bought the ingredients to make a rice and lemon chicken dinner for Monday, her own special recipe of beef stroganoff for Tuesday, shrimp shishkabobs on Wednesday, and green chili enchiladas on Thursday. Friday was still a question mark. When they’d made the arrangements, Gabe had insisted anything would do, but she’d heard he’d become a bit of a health nut. She wanted to see which type of meal went over best—fancy and exotic, low-fat, low-carb or the more standard Dundee fare of meat and potatoes—before planning any more menus.

“Jeez, do you have company coming or what?”

Hannah turned from the cupboard where she was putting away the cold cereal to see Patti, her ex-sister-in-law, come in through the garage. Although on the surface, Hannah’s friendship with members of Russ’s family remained intact, they weren’t nearly as close as they used to be. The court battles between her and Russ had forced the Prices to choose sides. Hannah had known in advance that her divorce would ripple through every relationship that really mattered to her. That was why she’d hung on for so long.

“No company,” she responded. “Just stocking up for the coming week.”

“I’m glad I have girls.” She tossed her keys and her purse on the only bare spot of counter space available and peeked into a sack. “These boys must be eating you out of house and home.”

Patti’s statement could easily have led to a conversation about Russ, and the fact that he was only paying his child support in fits and starts. Hannah craved a friend with whom she could discuss such things. But Patti was Russ’s sister. Since the divorce, they’d had an unspoken agreement not to discuss him at any length. The Prices didn’t like to face unpleasant realities and pretty much bought into Russ’s excuses and ignored his shortcomings. They’d done the same thing when she was married to him, but they’d also tried to support her as much as their loyalty would allow.

“Hi, Aunt Patti!” Brent slipped into her arms for a big hug.

“How’s my favorite nephew?” she asked.

He angled his head to look up at her. “I knew you liked me better than Kenny.”

“You’re my favorite nephew under ten,” she clarified.

He grimaced. “I’m your only nephew under ten.”

“You’re still my favorite,” she said with a chuckle. “You gettin’ tired of summer, kid?”

“No way. I like being out of school.” He gave her a gap-toothed smile. “Will you take me swimming today? Since I’m your favorite?”

She tweaked his nose, which was covered with a light dusting of golden freckles that would probably disappear the way Kenny’s had. “I guess I could drive you and the girls over to the high school for an hour or so.”

As a stay-at-home mom, Patti had much more opportunity to be spontaneous than Hannah did. At times Hannah envied the support Patti received from her husband and Violet, her mother, but not enough to wish her any less happiness.