Page 75 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

Again, with the sympathy; he tried to be gentle, but his reply probably came off sharper than he meant. “Don’t be; we had fun.” Then, remembering, he added, “We used to make each other homemade gifts, but this one Christmas, Honey wanted this doll at the mall. I had almost saved up enough for it, but my mom found my coffee can and took everything I had. So Christmas Eve, I went into the store and tried to sneak it out in my backpack.”

He didn’t know why he was telling her this story; as a kid, it had been terrifying. He’d almost made it out the door and onto the street when the sales clerk had grabbed him.

Would Caroline consider his early shoplifting a prelude to his ending up in prison? He didn’t think of it that way, but he could see why she would. He just thought back on that memory as a time when he’d tried to give Honey everything she deserved. After all, it wasn’t her fault she’d been born to a loser of a mother. And as for him, well, he wasn’t a gem either. Honey had deserved better than both of them.

Damn it. His eyes were starting to sting, and he coughed to hide the emotion this story roused in him.

He felt her squeeze his hand and step closer, her warmth comforting him. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I just had a tickle in my throat.”

“Okay,” she said, releasing his hand to wrap her arms around his waist. “Go on, then.”

Gabe could tell Caroline wasn’t buying his throat clearing but appreciated that she didn’t tease him about it. Lord knew this was the only time he’d ever told this story to anyone besides Chase, and if she teased him, well, he wouldn’t be able to take it.

Isn’t that why you’re telling her, though? Because deep down, you know you can trust her with your past and your baggage?

It was true. Despite their rough start, Caroline was the most understanding woman he’d ever met, and he knew she wouldn’t judge him for his mistakes.

Realizing she was poking his back for him to continue, he said, “Anyway, that was the first time I got arrested. I felt like shit, especially when my mom showed up and started screaming at me about having to quit during her winning streak. Then I got pissed, and told her if she hadn’t stolen all the money I’d earned, I wouldn’t have had to steal. I called her a thief in front of the whole police department, and she slapped me.”

“Oh my God, that’s awful,” Caroline said, pulling far enough away to look up at him, her expression appalled. “They didn’t let you go home with her, did they?”

“One of the officers stepped in and threatened to arrest her. She started crying and apologizing, giving him a sob story about raising the two of us all alone and that it would never happen again. She was just emotional. The officer was an older guy who bought her shit and started talking about how he had three teenagers. His advice to her was to let him drive her home, since she was obviously distraught.”

“I can’t believe no one did anything!” Caroline said furiously. “They should have taken her into custody, and—”

“It was a small town during the holidays,” Gabe broke in, rubbing her back to calm her down, although he was secretly pleased that she was angry on his behalf. Made him think that maybe she cared a little.

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s ridiculous that no one protected you from her,” Caroline said, adding weight to his suspicion. Though really, it wasn’t just that he wanted her to care but that he wanted to believe there could be something between them. If sharing a painful part of his childhood could show her he was trying, it was worth opening up old wounds.

Especially when she looked so adorably ferocious, ready to go back in time and challenge his mom.

Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her, softly. Just a brush of lips before he said, “Maybe if there had been someone like you there, it might have gone differently, but there weren’t a lot of choices for us. They might have been able to put me with one of the families at church temporarily, but then I wou

ldn’t have been home with Honey. Honestly, I thank God he didn’t do that. I don’t think Honey and I would have been any better off in the system, and I doubt if, once she lost us, my mother would have fought very hard to get us back.”

“But she’s your mother,” Caroline protested. “How could she not fight for her children? I couldn’t do that.”

He shrugged. “It turned out okay, actually. The next day, an officer and some woman showed up at our door. It turned out that one of the guys at the station had called child protective services after my mom slapped me. While my mom and the woman talked in the other room, the officer pulled out two packages and a stocking for each of us, filled with candy and toys. When my sister opened her gift, it was the doll she’d wanted.”

“Oh! What a wonderful man. Did child protective services ever come back?”

“No,” Gabe said, thinking back on what happened next with sadness. “We were in good health, without a mark on us, and the house was clean, though mostly because Honey and I did all the housework. I guess she determined it was a one-time deal, and there were other children at higher risk than us.”

“Well, that was still nice of the officer to do that,” Caroline said, squeezing him around the waist.

Gabe tried for irony, but his tone sounded bitter, even to his ears. “Yeah, except my mother took the toys and threw them in the Dumpster right after they left. Something about punishing us for causing her trouble and being greedy or some shit.” It was hard not to think of that Christmas and want to smash his fist into something.

Caroline’s face flushed. “What a bitch!”

Gabe let loose with surprised laughter and hugged her. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry, but—”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. I fully agree with you,” he said, rubbing her back. “We didn’t have it as bad as some, but after Honey’s accident, I wasn’t there to protect her.”

“Protect her from what? Your mother?” Caroline said with disbelief. “What did she do to her?”

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