moment he was in Charlotte with Cynthia or with her. She'd given up pretending they weren't dating, but she'd held fast to the belief that it was only a temporary circumstance. Apparently her heart had decided it liked Ron - liked his genuineness, his readiness to admit his mistakes and his resolve to correct them - and didn't care about anything else. She didn't know what her brain had been doing while her heart was cooking up this disaster. Whatever it was, it had been a strategic error. She had to run while she had a chance.
Yet for the next few days it would be impossible to keep her distance from Ron. Regardless of any personal danger, her primary responsibility was to start the girls and their families talking. From the moment she accepted them into her shelter, she had become in loco parentis. She owed it to everyone not to let this opportunity slip away.
Then there were Ron and Cynthia. Cynthia depended on her. Ron depended on her. She shouldn't have assumed such obligations if she had any doubts about being able to carry through to the end. By accepting his help with her shelter, she'd tied herself to him in additional ways. She not only couldn't ignore him, she had to pay close attention to everything he did. If he was successful, she had to know how to do it again.
After he was no longer here.
Ron looked at the people in the room and felt adrenaline start to flow. They had huddled together in distinctly separate groups in the recreation room, some around the pool table, others near the TV, one group at a large window facing a distant mountain, and still another backed up against the bar where they'd put the ice and soft drinks. Everyone seemed to be avoiding the food in the middle of the room. This was a challenge to Ron's skill, and that always brought with it an eagerness to prove himself equal to the job. He decided to start with the most difficult task.
"Remember to keep moving," he said to Kathryn, Cynthia and Leigh. "Don't let anyone get you in a corner. Get people talking. That's the first step in getting them relaxed."
"They look like they're afraid somebody's going to attack them," Leigh said.
"Somebody is," Cynthia said. "My dad."
She acted as if it were a terrible thing, but Ron heard a trace of pride in her voice. She might not like him right now, but she was proud of his abilities. He wondered if Kathryn felt the same way. She'd been mighty cool since she came out of her room. It was almost as though they were back to that very first night, her distrusting him and disliking him.
"I'll start with Kerry's parents," Ron said.
"Do you think you should after the way he acted in the parking lot?" Kathryn asked.
"He's got to know I'm not trying to undermine his relationship with his son. Until then, he's not going to cooperate with anything we do."
"I'll take Betsy," Cynthia said. "She's scared of almost everybody else."
"I'll take Lisette's parents," Leigh said.
"I guess that leaves me with Julia," Kathryn said.
"Battle stations everyone," Ron said.
"This is not a war."
"It is to Shamus."
Ron headed over to the O'Gradys who were standing together by the door to the courtyard. It was obvious Kerry wanted to be with Lisette. It was equally obvious his father was standing in his way.
"Is your suite okay?" Ron asked.
Shamus's looked angry, but his wife looked nervous. She kept glancing back and forth between her husband and her son.
"It's very nice," she said. "Very luxurious."
"You can't buy me with a fancy suite," Shamus said.
"I'm not trying to. I only want you to be comfortable. The rest of the weekend won't be easy."
"It will be for me," Shamus said. "I'm not staying. We're leaving right after dinner."
"You can't," Ron said. "The gate is locked, and I'm the only one with a key."
Ron thought Shamus would explode. His wife looked as though she didn't know what to do. Kerry smiled. "I guess that answers that question."
"You can't make us stay here. That's kidnapping."
Kerry laughed. "I can see the headlines now. Crazy Irishman accuses internationally famous businessman of kidnapping him in a luxurious mountain retreat along with several other families. Police didn't understand the charge since the Irishman admitted he'd gone there willingly."
"Don't talk to your father like that, Kerry," his mother said. "It makes him angry."
"I can't make him angry, but it's okay if he makes