Linda Wisdom - Single Kid Seeks Dad

“Luther is fifteen years old and merely cranky,” she said.

“Every boy should have a dog,” Logan said.

“Not when I’d be the one who’d be cleaning up the backyard.” Lucy looked at the kennels. She decided the dogs had grown even larger since the last time she’d seen some of them. “Are your Adoption Days successful?”

“Pretty much.” Logan transferred Beau to a series of thick manzanita branches set up as a macaw playpen in one corner of the large room. “We have it all set up outside. We have volunteers to help out with the animals and assist people in filling out the adoption paperwork, but we can always use more live bodies to help out.” He looked hopeful.

Lucy swore Logan’s expression when he turned her way echoed Nick’s. She feared he could prove as difficult to resist as her son was.

“I already said I’d come in and help wash the dogs when doing all this is actually his job and not mine,” she said.

“I’d call it mother/son bonding.”

“We already do plenty of bonding.” She tried to keep her eyes off a world-class male butt as Logan turned around when Gwen called out his name. She felt a blush burn her cheeks when she noticed Kristi’s attention was centered on her. The younger woman flashed her a cheeky grin. She held up her thumb and forefinger circled in a sign of approval.

Lucy was relieved when she and Nick were finally leaving the clinic.

“See you in the morning,” Logan called after her.

“Yes.” Why did she feel his words sounded more like a threat than a polite good-bye?

As they climbed into the Murano, Lucy looked at her son.

“The last thing most boys your age want is to spend more time with their mothers,” she said. “Especially if they’re working with a young woman like Kristi.” Please, do not have a crush on her! she silently begged.

“Kristi is really cool,” he said enthusiastically. “She’s been working hard to get her grades up because she wants to be a vet. I’ve been helping her with her chemistry. She kinda sucks at that.”

“Chemistry, terrific,” she muttered, switching on the engine.

Lucy decided it was a good idea she was helping out at the shelter tomorrow where she could see just how her son and one of his bosses interacted.

“Oh yeah, we need to be there about five-thirty,” Nick told her.

She almost slammed on the brakes. “In the morning?”

He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. I have faith in you.”

“Sweetheart, there are many things your mom can do. Being civil in the morning is not one of them.”

She silently vowed she wasn’t doing this because Logan had asked.

The first time Lucy had met Logan Kincaid she’d thought he was a good-looking man. He was the kind of male specimen who had her hormones sitting up and taking notice. Besides the blond hair, there wasn’t a physical resemblance to her ex-husband, but he had the same charm Ross had always exhibited. She decided Logan was one of those love-’em-and-leave-’em types. It was too easy to imagine him as a man who was convinced all he had to do was flash his pearly whites and the woman would instantly swoon in his arms. Luckily, she wasn’t the swooning type. Nor was she looking for a permanent man in her life. In fact, she wasn’t looking for anyone short-term either. Since her divorce she’d closely guarded her heart.

Her ex-husband had left her long ago after finding out she was pregnant. He’d told her he wasn’t father material and had no desire to learn how to be one. Her brother, Zach, and his first wife, Kathy, were there to help her get through her pregnancy and her new single state. Lucy did the same for Zach when his wife died in childbirth, leaving him with twins.

Lucy always regretted Nick not having a brother or sister. She thought her son might not have given in to his mischievous tendencies if he’d had a sibling. Then again, she rationalized, he also could have ended up with another partner in crime.

“MOM.”

“Umph.”

“Mom.” A hand touched her shoulder and gently shook it.

“Go ’way,” she mumbled, pulling her covers over her head to block out any hint of light.

“Mom, you have to get up.”

“Mom doesn’t exist.”

A corner of her blanket was pulled back and something warm and aromatic was practically shoved under her nose.

Lucy opened one eye to see if the aroma was real or a dream. Nick held out her largest mug filled with coffee. Light streamed in from the hallway. At least he’d been smart enough not to turn on the light in her bedroom.

She kept her eyes slitted. “What time is it?”

“Four-thirty.”

She groaned loudly as she pulled the covers back over her head. “I changed my mind. In fact, drive yourself to the shelter. I’m sure you can whip yourself up a fake driver’s license in no time. I promise not to tell.”

“Mom, you said you’d help us,” he reminded her. “You always said we have to honor our promises.”

Lucy bit back a curse. There was nothing worse than a son spouting back what a parent had taught him. She reached out and took the coffee mug from him. She sighed happily as she sipped the strong brew.

“I even turned the shower on for you, so by now it’s a nice warm temperature,” Nick said in a coaxing tone. “And I’m making waffles.”

Lucy perked up a little. “Waffles?”

“And bacon and eggs scrambled just the way you like them.”

She was starting to give in. “You hate getting up early just as much as I do.”

“I need to help get the dogs ready for Adoption Day.”

“And if you’re not there, who knows what that cranky old judge would do to you.” She pushed the covers back more. That was when she noticed that Nick was already dressed in a pair of ragged denim shorts and a faded T-shirt that she thought she’d thrown away a week ago. Considering what he’d be doing that morning, it was probably just as well he wasn’t better dressed. She slurped more coffee and held the mug out. “Please refill this for me while I shower.”

Nick took off. The refilled mug was returned before she finished crawling out of bed.

Lucy realized how important this day was to Nick when he cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and she found Luther’s litter box filled with fresh litter. The stormy gray cat peered at her through golden eyes filled with feline suspicion before he stalked off to his favorite corner in the family room where he always took his morning snooze.

Her only problem was what to wear. She knew she should wear something she wouldn’t care about if it ended up ruined, but the feminine part of her didn’t want to look like a hag in front of Logan. Just because she was leery of dating him didn’t mean she didn’t want to look her best.

She dug through her drawers until she reminded herself that she was over thirty and wasn’t looking for the perfect outfit to wear to school, so she could impress the captain of the football team.

She also reminded herself that she wasn’t interested in Logan. She had a full life and didn’t need a man in it. A couple of times she’d considered getting back into the dating game, but it only took a few dates for her to realize dating wasn’t anything like she remembered. She wasn’t sure if she was dating the wrong men or she was the wrong woman for them. Either way, she’d come to the conclusion she was better off going solo.

“Just pick something.” She finally closed her eyes and pulled out a pair of old cotton shorts and an oversize T-shirt that she knotted at her waist. “Nick, please pour the rest of the coffee in a travel mug for me!” she called out. “The really big mug.”

“Already done. Like I’d let you leave the house without enough caffeine to send you rocketing into another galaxy,” he hollered back as he headed for the garage. “Come on, Mom! We’re gonna be late.”