eye on his son. It seemed his kids ran wild. First Finn, now this older boy. Tomorrow she’d take his casserole dish back and talk to him. She’d want to know if it were her kid running around in the middle of the night.
Star was about to turn out the light and head back to bed when a noise on the front porch startled her. Her eyes darted to the gun the same instant a knock sounded at the door.
Her adrenal glands kicked into overdrive. Had one of the boys come back? She wasn’t cut out for this much late night drama.
“I have a gun,” she called out, “and I know how use it.”
“What the heck? Star?” Cade’s voice said from the other side of the door.
“O’Brien?” She didn’t know whether to be relieved or irritated.
“What’s going on?” The doorknob rattled. “Open the door.”
Star crossed the room and unlocked the door. If his tone was any indication of his mood, he’d probably kick the door down if she didn’t let him in.
Cade stood on the porch, dressed in gray sweats and the same T–shirt he’d worn earlier. His black hair stuck up, as if he’d rolled from bed, run his fingers through it, and hurried over to her place.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked definitely irritated now. “Doesn’t anybody sleep in this town?”
“What’re you doing with a gun?” he countered, pushing his way past her. He glanced around, located the gun, and picked it up. “Are you crazy? This thing is real. Do you even know how to use a gun?”
“Relax, it’s not loaded.” She snatched the weapon from him. “See?” She opened the chamber, giving him a full view of the empty chambers. “Besides, I wouldn’t have needed a gun at all if you kept your kid inside at night.”
Cade frowned. “Brad was here?”
“He looks just like you. Brad was here, along with four other boys. They woke me up. They were out back, drinking beer.”
Cade shook his head. “I heard Brad sneak out, but I didn’t see which way he went. I figured he might head this way. It’s not the first time he’s come here. It’s one of the reasons I want to mow this place down and build the new B & B. This place has become a gathering place for teenagers.”
“What are the other reasons?” Star couldn’t resist asking, sure he wanted to erase her family from his memory.
“What are you getting at, Star?” Cade asked, his tone deadly soft.
Her back stiffened. “Admit it, you’ve never liked us, or more specifically, me.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped. “I had issues.”
“Issues?” Star picked up her glass of brandy.
“Mind if I have a drink?” Cade asked, the question catching her off guard.
“Suit yourself.” Star slid the bottle to him, along with a glass.
Cade splashed the liquid into the glass and downed the brandy in a single gulp.
“That kid’s going to be the death of me.” Cade grimaced as the liquor worked its way through his body.
For a second, Star could see Cade’s pain, feel his upset over his son’s behavior. Heaven help her, he almost seemed human. Almost.
“Raising kids is tough,” she offered. “Believe me, I know.”
“How do you know, Star?” Cade asked. “Do you have kids?”
“Absolutely not,” she said, “and I never will. I raised my three sisters. That was enough for me.”
Cade stared at her, as if he were trying to figure her out. “It’s not the same.”
“It is for me,” Star said. “I’ve been through the teenage rebellion with my sisters. I remember those years. The drinking. The sneaking out. The calls from the police. Been there, done that, not doing it again.”
“Brad is sixteen,” Cade said. “Too young to be drinking.”
“Really?” Star asked, amused. “I seem to remember you indulging once or twice around that age. As I recall, beer made you even meaner.” There, she’d thrown the truth at him. Would he crush her with horrible words? Would he deny he’d been mean to her?
“I deserved that,” he said, the words tired. “I was a mixed up kid who’d lost his mother. I took out my pain on you. I know it’s not an excuse, but it’s all I’ve got. We’re both adults now, adults with adult problems. Can we let the past go?”
“Just like that?” She stared at him, looking for the boy he used to be, but she didn’t see the mean boy from her childhood, instead she saw a man, a man with an awful lot on his plate.
“I