face that he felt. “That’s why your uncle didn’t want you outside alone. Until I can get things worked out, I want you to always have an adult with you, even when you’re in the yard. Okay?”
Justin nodded fast in agreement.
“If your mother shows up here, I want you to stay away from her, and I especially want you to trust me to protect you. Do you think you can do that?”
Justin dragged a forearm under his nose, sniffled again and gave another nod.
Lang disappeared for a second, then returned with a tissue box. Hunching his shoulders, Justin refused to look at him. For a little guy, he had so much pride.
Corbin handed him a tissue. “Blow your nose, son.”
He made a half-hearted effort, then handed the tissue back to Corbin. It was a moment that made him smile, yet another novel experience, and he hugged Justin again. “We’re going to get it all worked out.”
No reply.
Lang pulled out a chair. “So, you know what I want to do tonight?”
Suspicious, Justin asked, “What?”
“I want to camp out in the living room. Just you and me, bud. What do you think?”
“Camp out?”
“Yup. We’ll get in some practice with our sleeping bags before we try sleeping in the tree house. We’ll use a flashlight to read one of the comic books Ivey gave you. It’s extra creepy that way.”
Justin gave it a little thought, then said, “I have a good Creature from the Black Lagoon one I’ve been saving. We could read it.”
“That sounds perfect. I even have a tent we can put up. Won’t that be cool?”
Amazing how Justin could go from tearful with worry to anticipating a new experience. And bless Lang for thinking of it.
When Justin left his lap, Corbin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “I wanted you to know what is happening so you’ll be extra cautious, but I don’t want you to worry.”
“Kay.” Justin swallowed heavily. “I don’t want to see her. Not yet.”
With a smile of encouragement, Corbin nodded. “Okay. If you ever change your mind, just let me know and we’ll try to work it out.” He smoothed down his son’s hair. “I love you, Justin.”
After a loud sniffle, Justin returned his smile. “Love you, too.” Then he raced off, calling for Daisy.
Corbin shared a look with Lang. “That kid packs such a punch.”
“No shit,” Lang said, and he heaved out a breath. “I’ll watch him for a bit. We’ll make plans for tonight.”
“Whenever you can without being too heavy-handed, reinforce the importance of being aware of his surroundings, okay?” Corbin didn’t think Darcie would show up to steal him away, but when it came to his son, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Sure thing.” Lang squeezed his shoulder. “Someday, somehow, it’s going to be okay.”
And until then, Corbin had his brother and Ivey, and he had his son. Someday, somehow. He had to believe that.
But first, he needed to find Darcie and make an offer.
He tried calling the number she’d originally given him, but it didn’t connect. Leaving Justin with Lang, he went into town to try to find her. Sunset was small enough that it shouldn’t be too difficult. In the meantime, his lawyer was drawing up new legal papers.
With any luck, he’d have it all settled in no time.
Chapter Thirteen
On a dreary evening one week later, Ivey was outside with the dogs. She’d gotten her stitches out that morning and her arm felt much better, the bruises already fading. For much of the day it had rained, and dark clouds still crowded the sky, making it seem later than it was. With the ground damp, she couldn’t sit in the grass, so instead, she sat on the front step and kept a very close eye on the dogs.
If she was honest with herself, they were more than ready for homes of their own. She also wanted to spay Daisy so the sweet little dog wouldn’t have to go through another difficult birth.
There’d been too many distractions lately, though. Corbin hadn’t yet been able to locate Justin’s mother. He’d checked all over Sunset, and although many people recalled her because of the scene she’d caused, no one knew where she might be. It was possible she was staying outside Sunset.
Until Darcie was found, Ivey feared that Corbin would be tense and Justin would remain wary. She loved them both so much that it made her tense and wary, too.
So many times she considered telling Corbin how she felt, that she wanted