Page 49 of Playing for Keeps
She put the phone down and whirled her hair into a high ponytail. Dinner was cooked, dessert baked, and every surface in the house cleaned.
Sinking into a chair at the kitchen table, she clasped her hands in front of her and rested her forehead against her knuckles. “Lord, please keep him safe.”
The hum of an engine had her lifting her head as headlights streaked through the small house.
Caroline dashed to the front door. “You work fast, Lord.”
She opened the door as Justin jogged through the pouring rain and bounded onto her porch. He stopped, dripping and shaking just outside her door.
“I’m soaked.”
Caroline grabbed his arm and tugged him inside. “Just get in here.”
Once the door was closed against the relentless rain, she headed for the hallway. “I’ll be right back.” She grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet and rushed back to the living room.
A puddle had already formed around Justin’s feet by the time she returned. She draped one towel around his shoulders and handed him the other.
“Sweet sugarplum, you’re freezing.”
His whole body shook as he bent to wipe the floor.
“Don’t worry about that. Just get dry. Let me see if I can find you some clothes.”
Five minutes later, she’d gathered an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of jeans her brother, Clint, had given her to sew up a rip in the side seam. Justin wastaller than Clint, but they might be close enough. She left them in the bathroom and went to check on Justin.
“Come on. I found you something to change into. You can take a shower to warm up, and I’ll put your clothes in the dryer.”
Justin bundled the wet towels in his arms and handed them to her with his head down. “Thank you. I’m sorry about the mess. And about being late.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just get warm and dry.”
She ushered him toward the bathroom and went to get the fire going in the fireplace. Her house wasn’t cold, but Justin was chilled to the bone.
It didn’t make sense. He’d only run from the truck to the house. How’d he get so wet? Why was he so cold? She busied herself gathering blankets until the hum of the shower stopped. A few minutes later, Justin appeared wearing the clothes she’d pieced together for him and carrying his wet outfit. The pants weren’t as short as she’d expected.
She met him in the hallway. “I’ll toss these in the dryer. They should be ready by the time we finish eating.”
After starting the dryer, she found Justin in the kitchen. His hands were propped on the counter, and his head hung low.
She slid her hand up his back as she approached. “Hey, is everything okay?”
He lifted his head, and a gasp escaped her in a rush. The left side of his face was swollen and a stream of fresh blood dripped down his jaw.
He brushed at his face and looked at the red on his hand. “Shoot, I’m sorry.” Grabbing for a paper towel, he rubbed it across his face before pressing it to his temple.
Caroline turned to her left and opened the freezer. She pulled out a pack of frozen carrots and lifted it to him.
“What happened?” The words were barely a whisper.
Justin wiped at his face again and accepted the frozen vegetables. “Dad. I knew I shouldn’t have gone there.”
She’d heard about the fights, but seeing the evidence and hearing about them were two different things.
“What did he do? What did…”
She couldn’t finish the thought. If Justin looked like this, what did his dad look like?
“I didn’t do anything.” Justin slapped the bag of carrots onto the counter. “Just let him hit me. I couldn’t hit him back.”
