“Not particularly, no.” She told him, starting with the power being cut off, what she’d been dealing with in the last twenty-four hours. “The water is next. Though I have explained to the company that we haven’t gotten a bill so I donna know what to pay on it. Not that we have the cash for that either. Angie needs money for a class trip. Aaron is hurt. His mom is at her wit’s end, and I’m right there along with her. I haven’t any income, and the fucking insurance company won’t get off their collective arse and pay up on the insurance that Thomas had when he died suddenly at home. Not suddenly, but he did die, and they should have to help out his family when he made the payments every frigging month.”
“Come with me.”
She didn’t have much in the way of a choice when Rodney took her hand into his and dragged her down the hall to another exam room. There he pulled her into his arms and held her. Nothing sexual about it, but it felt wonderful to have a pair of very strong arms holding her. Even if it was only for a little while.
“Harris is looking into the insurance money for you. When she did a search on the two of you, she said it came up.” Rebel looked at him. “She did this before today, and if I know her, she’s going to have answers for you by the time we have dinner there tonight. Now. There is something you can do for me that will help you in ways you can’t imagine. As a family, we own several homes. One of them is being cleaned up and filled out for you right now. I’ve spoken to the others, and they’re going to move you and your little family into it today. In fact, Shep and two of my other brothers are at your home right now with your sister-in-law, Sheila. I have a home as well. If you’d like to move in there, for the time being, I’ll move in with one of my brothers so you can have the entire house to yourself.”
“The landlord is a creep.” Rodney asked her what he’d done. “Nothing much other than he just comes into the house when he wants, using his own key. If we were to change the locks, he said he’d sue us. That as our landlord, he has the right to come and go as he pleases. Twice now, he’s been in my room when I’ve been sleeping, Aaron told me. I’ve not an idea what else he’s been up to when we’re asleep or not around.”
“I’ll take care of him.” She told him not to kill him. “I’m not making any promises on that score. However, if you’d like to go home and help out with the moving, that would be all right with me. The kids can stay here until I go to see my brother. Aaron is resting now, the best thing for him, and I’ve put a cast on his arm. Angie is taking a nap. She said she did it after school every day.”
“You’re serious.” Rodney pointed out that he wasn’t very good at jokes, and he was rarely, if ever, not serious. “What am I going—?”
“Don’t. Don’t ask me what the catch is. Or how much I’m going to take from you for this. There is no catch. I promise you that I have nothing untoward in my head about you having a place to stay that is safe, as well as something you can afford.” He grinned at her. “Your family is now my family, and I need to do this for them. To make you happy. I swear to you on my mom’s heart that I’d never ask you or trick you into anything you don’t want to do.”
“I was wrong to say that to you. I’m sorry.” He said he was all right with her being upset. Taking it out on him was better than her killing someone. “That was going to be the next thing on my list of things to do today. The landlord again. He’s been…. Perhaps I should tell Harris about it. She’d be less prone to kill him.”
“Doubtful. She’d just find a way so it would look like an accident.” Rebel didn’t know if he was serious or not but let it go. “All right. You head back to the house. Shep said that Sheila is helping a great deal, but she’s upset. Something about a call from someone. I’m betting insurance company, but I don’t know yet.”
After handing her his cell phone and telling her to call when they were about done, he said he’d take care of the kids and make sure they were both all right. For some reason, Rebel thought they’d be in better care with him than they would be with anyone else she knew. As she drove back to the home she was sharing with Sheila and the kids, she thought about what it would be like to have someone love her. It had been a while since she’d even dated anyone that she liked. The last relationship she had recently had been with a control freak. Even after that, she scolded herself. Here she was planning a wedding with a man she barely knew.
As soon as she pulled up in front of the house, she knew something had happened, and it wasn’t going to bode well for their ex-landlord. Getting out of her car, she made her way past the police cruiser and the large SUV that was parked in the driveway. Mr. Cort was sitting on the ground with his hands behind his back, with one of the police standing over him. The officer tipped his hat at her and said that
