Page 19 of The Fear (The Hillers of Barratt County #7)

She just didn’t stop.

Jessica had called him a dozen times since Friday night. Making demands—and whining. About taking care of the kids all the time. She’d ruined Saturday and Sunday for him, too.

Brenton hadn’t gotten a straight answer out of Jessica, just more whining and pouting about how expensive good childcare was.

But at least she’d promised to bring the kids to him every morning.

He’d feed them and drop Wynnie off at school and he’d found someone to watch BJ now during the day, too.

It hadn’t been that hard—it was part of being a damned parent.

She’d wanted the kids so much, now that they actually had them, she barely wanted to show up.

And the kids had to go back to her tomorrow.

It made him sick to even think about it.

Why didn’t she just give him the kids and go screw whoever she wanted to next? It would make it easier on all of them.

Except… then she wouldn’t be sticking it to him if he had the kids all the time and she didn’t. Sometimes, he was convinced her screwing him over was more important to her than BJ and Wynnie ever could be.

“I hope we get there early,” Wynnie said, bouncing in her car seat behind him. “I like school now.”

She hadn’t. Not before. This new teacher had made the difference. “Why?”

“Because if you tell Mith Hanan that you didn’t eat breakfast, she’ll give you her apple from her lunch. I really like apples. Mommy never buys apples.”

“You’re eating your teacher’s lunch?” This teacher would think Brenton was starving his kid or something. Hell.

“Just sometimes. When Mommy doesn’t have time to feed us breakfast or nothing.”

“How often is that?”

“Four. No five. She gave me an apple five times. And a banana two times. She says fruit is good for you.”

“Does she give food to other kids?”

“Sometimes. She has Mither Sandoval bring her fruit sometimes. As presents. I think he likes her. Maybe they are boyfriend and girlfriend? Cayson and Julie are boyfriend and girlfriend. Mommy has a new boyfriend too. Billy. I do not like him. Billy has mean eyes and he scares my brother. I want a boyfriend, Daddy. Then he can beat up Billy. When can I have one?”

“When you’re eighty-three.” He pulled into the Value Elementary parking lot and parked.

There was a new boyfriend now? Hell, that was like the sixth in less than eighteen months. Each one was more of a loser than the last.

His fear for his kids deepened every day.

He followed Wynnie down the hall, BJ riding on his hip. His kid was afraid of his own shadow lately. Clingy, when he didn’t use to be. It was like holding a damned baby monkey at times. Somehow, Brenton would have to get to the bottom of that soon, too.

Wynnie pushed open the door to the kindergarten classroom.

And there she was.

He’d met her before, of course. This was a small town, and people knew everybody. Now, Brenton took a moment to study her.

Ms. Hanan looked like a fresh-faced kindergarten teacher. Young. Very young. Sweet looking, really. Beautiful, in that kind of kid-sister way.

She was cute, wholesome—not the kind of woman he’d ever been attracted to before. But that was before the whole Jessica thing. Now…hell, he’d give his left leg for a decent woman like this one to look at him now.

He got lonely sometimes, no denying that. A woman he could trust…

Not that that was going to happen.

Most women around Barratt County hit the road the instant they realized he shared two kids with Jessica Curtis.

His ex had a reputation around here with other women and it wasn’t positive at all.

And being with Jessica showed a serious lack of judgment on his part.

He’d even had a woman tell him that six months after he and Jessica had split.

He’d fallen for the hot body and the skill in the bedroom. Before he’d realized how stupid he’d been, they’d had two kids—and she’d had two other guys on the side. After they’d split, she’d remarried in two weeks.

That marriage had lasted all of seven months, until Jessica had been found out cheating on him, too.

Jessica just couldn’t keep out of other men’s beds.

If this woman in front of him was a virgin, though—it wouldn’t have shocked him at all. Hala Hanan just had that pure kind of air about her. In his next life…he hoped he deserved a woman like her.

“You’re here early today, Miss Wynnie. I’m glad to see you. I was needing someone to help me with the shelves.” She waved a hand to a shelf stacked with wooden toys. There were a dozen more toys on the floor.

“I like helping with the shelves. Can my brother help, too?” Wynnie had dumped her backpack on a small desk that had a name tag with her name in big pink letters. Near the teacher’s desk.

“He sure can, if he wants. Can you show him how we do it?”

“Only for a minute, Wyn. I want to talk to your teacher then I have to take BJ to the sitter’s.

” He had to make it clear to this woman that he wasn’t a total loser for a father.

He sat BJ down on the floor and Wynnie took him by the hand.

That was all it took—BJ followed his sister around everywhere. They were close, at least.

Then he turned back to her.

Big, beautiful dark eyes were watching him. She had the pinkest lips of any woman he had ever seen. For the first time in a long while, Brenton didn’t know what to say to a woman at all.

“Hello again, Deputy Ryce. How are you this morning?”

“Has…she been telling you her mother doesn’t give her breakfast?

” the words just came out. Far harsher than he intended.

Wynnie’s teacher stepped back quickly. A look of fear went through the big brown eyes.

Making him feel like a damned toad. “Excuse me, I didn’t mean to be rude.

Wynnie told me this morning you’re giving her fruit because her mother hasn’t been giving her breakfast. I’m trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

I buy the kids breakfast foods every week and make sure Jessica has them.

And she was supposed to be filling the lunch account. I just found out she wasn’t last week.”

“I have fruits and small snacks for the kids in the Early Birds program. The school provides them from a federal grant. Some kids need a little extra, and some kids are just hungry by the time they get here. Some have an hour bus ride. Wynnie isn’t the only one.

I handle the Early Birds every Tuesday and Thursday morning in the cafeteria now.

Is there something you don’t want Wynnie to have? ”

“No. I just want to make sure their mother is actually feeding them for once. Jessica…can be a bit neglectful, but I can’t seem to get the judges around here to give me custody. No matter what Jessica does.”

She just looked at him, wet her lips nervously. And waited.

Hell, what was he supposed to say now?