Family Camp (Daddy Dearest, #1)(5)

“Real dogs? Cute, furry, silly dogs?”

Her eyes lit up and she nodded adamantly.

“Well, what a coincidence! It so happens I have a dog. His name is Max, and he loves little girls. Would you like to meet him? If your dad says that’s okay?”

“Dogs bite,” Jayden put in matter-of-factly.

“Nah, not this dog. Max is a love bug.”

“Yeah, Lucy!” Geo said, coming up alongside Travis. “I can see him in the other car. He’s a real pretty dog. Would you like to say ‘hi’?”

Lucy rubbed her nose with one hand, tears forgotten. Her little face perked up. She dropped all the dolls she was holding and pushed herself up higher in her child seat. “Dog,” she whispered, a word barely there. She reached up for Travis, hands opening and closing, as if she wanted him to pick her up.

He looked at Geo. The guy’s expression fell for some reason. But it was only a moment before he smiled again. He nodded at Travis.

“Okay. I’ll go get him,” Travis said. “But first, will you do something for me, Lucy? If I bring Max over, will you promise not to cry anymore today? Is it a deal?” Travis held out his hand.

Lucy nodded solemnly, placed her little hand in his. He shook it once. “Deal. Awesome. I’ll go get him.”

Travis stood up and went past Geo, who was staring at him. He let Max out of his seat and put him on leash. Max had been in the SUV for hours and was eager to greet anyone, anywhere, after having a nice long pee. Travis let him do his business at the side of the road, then murmured a warning at Max to “be gentle.”

He didn’t really expect Max to obey. He was only one year old and still had the exuberance of a puppy. He followed commands when he felt like it, which was almost never. But maybe he sensed a fragility in Lucy. Because when they reached her side of the car, Max was gentle. He sniffed at her glittery purple sandals, making Lucy squirm and smile, then he put his paws delicately on the seat so she could pet his head. He gave her belly a friendly snuffle.

“This is what I wish for you,” Geo said in an awed voice. “I wish someone, someday, looks at you the way Lucy looks at your dog.”

Travis chuckled. “Well, Max looks at me the way Lucy looks at Max. That’s why I feed him.”

“Um-hmm.”

Inside the car, Jayden had backed up against his door, and he eyed Max warily. But Max was being calm, letting Lucy pet him and hug him. Slowly, Jayden reached out a hand and cautiously patted Max. “Don’t eat me,” he muttered.

“Do you really have gas?” Geo asked. “Or was my desperate brain putting words in your mouth?”

“I have gas,” Travis said, then he frowned. “Well. Not personally.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Okay to leave Max here while we do that?” Travis asked.

“He doesn’t look like he’s about to snap,” Geo observed.

“I’d say the odds are against it.”

Geo leaned down to look into the car. “Jayden, we’ll be right back. This blessed angel has a gas can.”

Travis snorted.

“But the dog might eat us,” Jayden said.

“Just be nice to him, and he’ll be nice to you,” Travis advised.

“That’s always been my motto,” Geo quipped.

The guy was funny. Travis secured the leash to the passengerseat headrest. Better safe than sorry. There was a lot of traffic on the road.

Geo trailed Travis over to the SUV. He opened the hatchback door. The storage area was stuffed with everything from suitcases to a sleeping bag, oars, life jackets, grocery bags, and, yes, a gas can.

“You on the lam from the Feds?” Geo asked.

“Hey, don’t knock my stash.” Travis held up the gas can. “Five gallons.”

Geo frowned. “Did you have that for something specific? If you follow me to Big Bear, we can pull into a gas station, and I can refill it for you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not going all the way to Big Bear.”

“Well then, at least let me pay you. My wallet’s in the car.”

“Nah, it’s not that much.” Travis walked back to the car with the gas can. He sure wasn’t going to take money from a guy with two kids in a Honda Civic.

Geo hurriedly opened the gas tank cover and unscrewed the cap. He glanced sideways at Travis and checked him out, gaze running up and down Travis’s body. It was quick, but it was there. Yup, he was definitely interested in men. Warmth stirred again in Travis’s belly.

He cleared his throat and put the neck of the gas can into the tank—nope, no sexual metaphor there at all. He spoke over the gurgle of gasoline. “So. You said you’re fostering them?”

Geo shrugged. “For now.”

Annnnd that was the ball game. A wave of anger and disgust washed through Travis, killing the warm fuzzies he’d been feeling for the guy. Stamping them out cold.

For now.

Travis didn’t know these two kids at all, but if they were in the foster care system, he’d bet they’d been passed around a lot. Now this guy was already eyeing the door. Nice.

“There you go,” he said tersely. He abruptly jerked out the empty gas-can nozzle. Nope, not a metaphor at all.

Geo screwed on the tank’s cap. “Thank you. Seriously. Disaster averted and all that.”