Caleb had a lot to learn when it came to parenthood. She laughed. “I’d like to see you try, and then enforce it. It is rather funny, too, coming from you, given you’re the guy who barely spent time indoors. Weren’t you like a master at escape?” She’d once overheard Caleb’s mother at school lamenting to another parent that, short of duct taping them to a wall or gluing their feet to the floor, the boys just wouldn’t stay still.
Apparently a reminder that Luke took after Caleb wasn’t a good enough excuse. He clamped his lips tight. “This isn’t funny. I told you to stay inside in order to keep you guys safe. Do you realize what could have happened if that thing came back and I wasn’t here to protect you?”
“No, I don’t know what might have happened because we have no idea what we came across yesterday. It could have been a monkey, fresh from a swamp mud bath, on the loose from the zoo. Maybe he wanted to come inside for a bath.” The silly example saw a little chuckle slip from Luke.
“Or it could have been some sick predator that wouldn’t be scared off by conventional means. You could have been hurt!” His body shook, and not with anger, she noted, but…fear?
Caleb truly was scared for them.
She might have given him some slack, except he did the unforgivable. He scared Luke.
A tremble went through their son. Her turn to glare. “You stop that naysaying right now, Caleb. You’re scaring Luke. And I won’t have it. What happened last night was a fluke. Probably some bayou animal looking for food scraps.”
“Because you know a lot of animals who can open windows,” he drawled with the utmost sarcasm.
No, but she wouldn’t back down now. “Raccoons are pretty wily.” And hey, the monkey idea wasn’t that farfetched. It could happen. Right?
“Except that wasn’t a coon trying to get in his room last night.”
Luke popped his head from Caleb’s shoulder to utter, “The dinosaur was coming for me. But he didn’t come here. Grandma said he wouldn’t, and if he did, she’d—”
“Fill its snout with salt rock,” Claire announced with a thump of her shotgun on the front porch. “So stop harassing the girl, Caleb. The boy needed air. He was never in any danger. I was watching along with Princess.”
The dog, upon hearing its name, sprang from the clump of marigolds in the flowerbed with a bark that startled Caleb into taking a step back, and that made Luke laugh.
The struggle on Caleb’s face was funny. Hard to frown in annoyance at getting surprised by a teeny tiny dog when it so evidently pleased their son.
With the tension broken, time to change the subject.
“How did the interview go?” Renny asked.
“I was hired. I start tomorrow as a security guard.” He made a face.
“That’s great. I hear the dental benefits are wicked.”
“Nothing wrong with my bite, baby.” A quick wink and a sexy smile brought heat to her cheeks.
“I’ve got a ten o’clock shift at the grocery store tomorrow. Do you need a ride into work? I can probably drop you off on the way to Luke’s school. But we’ll have to leave early.”
The crossed arms over his chest didn’t bode well. Welcome to fight number two. “You are not going to work.”
“Oh, yes I am.”
It didn’t take the tension in his jaw for her to know things were going to get ugly. Apparently, Claire noted it, too.
“Luke, sweetie, why don’t you come inside with me and test drive the cookies that just came out of the oven. I’ve got a cold glass of milk made for dipping.”
With a wiggle that saw Caleb setting Luke down, her son went scampering off, leaving Renny alone with a seriously bristling male.
So very hot. But sexy or not, she was not about to back down. “I am going to work tomorrow, Caleb, whether you like it or not. The bills won’t pay themselves.”
“I know, which is why I got a job.”
“Well la-de-da for you. But just so you know, I am not a charity case, and I’m not about to beg you for money.”
“No one said you had to beg. I’m just doing what’s right. A man is supposed to support his family.”
“I’m sure your mother will appreciate that.”
“Renny!” He barked her name as his agitation increased, but that was fine because she was getting agitated, too. “Why must you be so difficult?”
“Because I’d like to know who gave you permission to start making decisions for me.”
“I’m just trying to do what’s right.”
“Awesome. Do it, but while you’re at it, keep in mind I make my own decisions. You’re not the boss of me.” Which sounded kind of juvenile when spoken aloud.
“You’re being stubborn.”
“I’m being a woman.”
He glared.
Planting a hand on her hip, Renny glared right back. “Go ahead. Have your hissy fit. Get it out of your system.”
“Hissy fit? Is that what you call my effort to try and protect you and Luke?”
“You’re right. It’s more like a dictatorship. And I’m rebelling. Letting you back into my life doesn’t mean you’re suddenly in charge. I am.”
“What about Luke? Don’t I get a say?”