A Little Dare - Brenda Jackson [18]
Dare leaned against the counter and raised a brow. “And?”
AJ paused, squared his shoulders again and said. “And I decided to oblige him. He pushed me down and when I got up I made sure he found out the hard way that I’m not someone to mess with.”
Dare inwardly smiled. He hated admitting it but what his son had said had been spoken like a true Westmoreland. He didn’t want to remember the number of times one of the Westmoreland boys came home with something bloodied or broken. Word had soon gotten around school that those Westmorelands weren’t anyone to tangle with. They never went looking for trouble, but they knew how to handle it when it came their way.
“Fighting doesn’t accomplish anything.”
His son shrugged. “Maybe not, but I bet Caleb Martin won’t be calling me bad names and pushing me around again. I had put up with it long enough.
Dare placed his hand on his hips. “If this has been going on for a while, why didn’t you say something about it to your mother or to some adult at school?”
AJ’s glare deepened even more. “I’m not a baby. I don’t need my mother or some teacher fighting my battles for me.”
Dare met his son’s glare with one of his own. “Maybe not, but in the future I expect you not to take matters into your own hands. If I hear about it, I will haul both you and that Martin kid in here and the two of you will be sorry. Not only will I assign after-school duties but I’ll give weekend work duties as well. I won’t tolerate that kind of foolishness.” Especially when it involved his son, Dare decided not to add. “Now go into that bathroom and get cleaned up then meet me out back.”
AJ shifted his book bag to his other shoulder. “What am I supposed to do today?”
“My police car needs washing and I can use the help.”
AJ nodded and rushed off toward the bathroom. Dare couldn’t hide the smile that lit his face. Although AJ had grumbled last night about having to show up at the police station after school, Dare could tell from his expression that he enjoyed having something to do.
“Sheriff?”
Dare glanced up and met McKade’s gaze. “Yes?”
“There’s something about that kid that’s oddly familiar.”
Dare knew what McKade was getting at. His deputy had seen the paperwork he’d completed last night and had probably put two and two together; especially since Rick McKade knew his first and middle names. The two of them were good friends and had been since joining the FBI at the same time years back. When Dare had decided to leave the Bureau, so had McKade. Rick had followed Dare to Atlanta, where he’d met and fallen in love with a schoolteacher who lived in the area.
“The reason he seems oddly familiar, McKade, is because you just saw him yesterday,” Dare said, hoping that was the end of it.
He found out it wasn’t when McKade chuckled and said. “That’s not what I mean and you know it, Dare. There’s something else.”
“What?”
McKade paused a moment before answering. “He looks a lot like you and your brothers, but especially like you.” He again paused a few moments then asked. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Dare’s lips curved into a smile. He didn’t have to tell McKade anything since it was obvious he had figured things out for himself. “No, there’s nothing I want to tell you.”
McKade chuckled again. “Then maybe I better tell you, or rather I should remind you that the people in this town don’t know how to keep a secret if that’s what you plan to do. It won’t be long before everyone figures things out, and when they do, someone will tell the kid.”
Dare’s smile widened when he thought of that happening. “Yes, and that’s what his mother and I are counting on.” Knowing what he’d said had probably confused the hell out of McKade, Dare turned and walked through the door that led out back.
The kid was a hard worker and a darn good one at that, Dare decided as he watched AJ dry off the police cruiser. He had only intended the job to last an hour, but he could tell that AJ was actually enjoying having something to do. He made a mental note to ask Shelly if AJ did any chores at home,