Chapter 1

"Ethan, want some more juice... or... anything else?" Helen asked while topping off his coffee. She had just set his order in front of him, two eggs over easy, two slices of buttered whole wheat toast, two sausage patties, a large orange juice, and a cup of coffee he'd already been sipping on since he first sat down.

Over the years, he had stopped at the diner enough to know her question was an open invitation. Ethan looked up to find the same hopeful, shit eating grin she always threw at him. Nothing ever changes.

Ethan was thirty years old, securely employed, single, and at the top of the local bachelorette food chain. The young waitress had been trying for years to get him to notice.

Shaking his head, he replied, "No thanks Helen, not tonight."

She knew he was only referring to food. Other than a little harmless flirting he had never been interested, at least not in her.

And normally, he would flirt a little, but tonight he was preoccupied watching a distraught young mother sitting with her two little kids in the booth in front of him.

On top of that, he was still dealing with his own feelings of disgust over the time he wasted earlier going to see what he thought was going to be a good movie. If there was one thing Ethan hated, it was wasting time.

He had picked the late show in hopes of avoiding school kids, so he could relax and enjoy the movie. But before it was half over, he concluded the pre-release clips were going to end up being the best part.

Now Ethan was sitting in the rear booth with his back to the wall and the open diner in front of him. It was his favorite seat because from there he could observe everything.

Knowing what was going on around him was important. Ethan felt the more unexpected surprises he could avoid in life, the less pain he would have to suffer.

After glancing at his watch, he thought, 'Twelve-thirty a.m., it's late, but still a perfect time for my favorite breakfast. At least I'll get a little enjoyment out of the evening, it won't be a total loss. I do need to finish up and get home though. My alarm will be going off in just a few hours. I'm running out of time for getting some serious shuteye.

Damn, tomorrow, or should I say today, is going to be a long one. My men and I are so far behind. Thank goodness George and his crew are fairly caught up. Their help for the next day or two should be enough to get us all back on track. He owes me big time anyway. It's not like we haven't saved his crew's ass several times.'

Ethan and George had been hired and trained together on the same crew. Even though George was a few years older, they'd been promoted to 'crew chief' at the same time. Over the years, their mutual respect had caused their working relationship to evolve into a close friendship.

Their standing order was simple, when time allowed, help each other. Neither had to be asked, they constantly watched out for one another, jumping in with their crew when needed.

Ethan watched as Helen shrugged while carrying the fresh pot of coffee to the booth in front of him. Where, at the moment the young mother and her two kids held his undivided attention.

The mother appeared to be about ten pounds overweight. 'Probably from a diet loaded with too much starch and carbs, ' Ethan thought. 'On a proper diet the extra weight should drop right off.'

He realized that a bad diet was usually a sign of poor education or low income... or both. Chuckling to himself, he pondered, 'And what's my excuse, buttered toast, eggs, and sausage, now that's super healthy.'

He overheard Helen ask, "What do you plan to do?"

On the verge of tears, the young mother replied, "I have no idea since my car won't start... it was the last warm place my kids had to sleep."

Helen wasn't trying to be mean, but she had to state the facts, "Look, you've been here for over three hours. You can't just sit there forever.

Carl owns the joint and he's going to be here soon to get everything set up for the morning shift. That's our busiest time of the day. He won't allow you to tie up that booth. You are going to have to leave and soon."

In a desperate voice, "But I have no money left, where can I take them? I can't just go out into the cold, they'll freeze."

Ethan could see a little girl about three glued to one side of her mother, on the other side was a little boy who appeared to be about two. As with all little boys, he had a spoon clasped in his tiny hand drawing circles in the condensation left by a glass of water.

A little nervous, Helen inquired, "I do hope you have enough to pay for your meal? Otherwise I get my ass chewed out."

The frustrated young mother snapped, "Yes... I have enough for the meal... but that is all I have," as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Ethan pushed his untouched plate back, he had just lost his appetite. Now he knew why he was never really attracted to Helen in spite of the fact she was a looker with a body to boot.

Picking up his cup of coffee for a last sip, he sat pondering the age old question, 'Do I or don't I? If I do, it's going to take a lot of time and energy. If I don't, my life will be a lot simpler... and safer, ' he thought.

As he stared at the front door of the diner it seemed to beckon him, 'Let it go, it's not your problem. Just a few steps and you are out of here and back in sync with your normal life.'

He stood up and dropped enough money on the table to cover the meal and tip. Stepping up beside Helen, he handed her a few bills, "This should be more than enough to cover their meal and your tip."

Everyone seemed to freeze, all eyes were on Ethan. The young mother was wondering, 'Who is this man and why is he paying my bill?'

At that moment, Ethan seemed to reach a conclusion. Reaching over the young mother, he picked up the little boy, looked at the startled mother and said, "Get the other one and let's go."

Her panic stricken face screamed in alarm, "Who the hell are you? Put my baby down."

With aggravation Ethan looked at her, "Look lady, you're just wasting time, now pick up the other one and let's get out of here."

In a screeching voice she threatened, "I'm not going anywhere with you. Put my son down or I'll call the cops."

Staring down at her, Ethan calmly replied, "No you won't. If you call the police, they'll take your kids from you. You are broke, no means of support, and nowhere to go. They'll turn your kids over to child protective services and leave you standing in the street. Now, as I said, quit wasting time, pick up the other one and let's go."

As his words slowly sunk in, the young mother started sobbing. She had never felt so helpless as her eyes appealed to Helen for help.

Helen, thinking she was about to unload her potential problem, said, "If Ethan told me to pick up my little one and let's go, I'd already be out the door. Lady, I'd trust him with my soul on judgment day."

The mother sat sobbing in near hysterics, confused, not knowing what to do. With a disgruntled sigh, Ethan shuffled the little boy over to his outside arm, reached down with his other and picked up the little girl. After hoisting her in place, he started for the door with two crying bewildered kids.

The young mother screamed and grabbed her purse as she slid out of the booth chasing after him. Grabbing at his arm, she clutched at him trying her best to stop him as he headed out the door.

She beat on his back, cussing and threatening him with every bit of verbiage she could muster. Scared to death, she had no idea what this stranger wanted or intended to do with her babies.

Ethan stopped beside a large twin cab pick-up. Turning he gave the young mother a hard look as she stood looking defeated but defiant for her kids.

She was now outside the diner and had lost her last vestige of hope for the night. There was nothing between her and sleeping under a bridge somewhere. Hopelessness was rapidly setting in while she tried her best to put on a solid front for her babies against this... this... she didn't know what.

Ethan said, "Now, I'm going to put your kids in the back seat and you can ride up front with me. It would be a lot easier on them if you pull yourself together. They're scared because you're scared. No one is going to hurt you, all I'm trying to do is help."

"I don't want your help. Please... just give me my babies and I'll forget this ever happened. We'll just go on our way," she pleaded.

"Ma'am, where are you going to go? Worse yet, where are your kids going to sleep tonight, and how are you going to feed them in the morning? Before you try to answer that, you had better stop and look at the reality of your situation.

I won't stand in the way if that's what you really want... hell, I'll even save you some time. Get in the truck, two miles down the road is an overpass. There will be at least five or six homeless people spending the night there, some of them will be sleeping it off.

When we get there, if you are more afraid of me than spending the night with your kids under those conditions, then I will stop and let you out. You will never see me again, you have my god given word on that," Ethan swore.

"If you just give me my babies, I'd prefer to stay here," she begged.

"Ok, just bear in mind that once I drive off, the police will be called. After they arrive, it will take them about fifteen minutes to decide to take your kids away, but if that is what you really want," he stated with a question?

She stood there looking like a young doe ready to bolt, but in deep thought about which direction. He saw the look of resignation as she stepped around him, using the running board to reach and open the rear door of the cab for him.

Ethan put the two little ones in the back seat and buckled them in, then opened the passenger door for their mother. Without another word she stepped up on the running board and climbed into the cab.

From inside the diner, Helen had been watching with her cell phone in hand, ready to call the cops the moment the young mother and her two helpless kids became homeless. As Ethan drove away with the young family in tow, she stepped behind the counter and dropped the phone back into her purse.

Helen had never wanted to kick herself so bad, 'Damn, I just knew the bitch would walk away or go screaming down the street. Why in the fuck was I stupid enough to tell her she could trust Ethan. I should have said, "Hell lady, he could be a rapist or child molester for all I know." The way he looked at her, I have never seen him with that look in his eyes before. Oh hell, there may have gone the best available man in the whole city. Shit!'

Ethan hadn't been in the diner long enough for the engine to cool off. The blast of hot air from the dash vents felt good. "Where's your car?"

It took a second for the frightened young mother to comprehend she was being spoken to. "What?" she asked.

"Where did you leave your car?" Ethan repeated.

"About two blocks down the street at a convenience store." As they drew near the store, she pointed it out to him. "I stopped to get the kids a soft drink. The damn thing wouldn't restart."

Turning the truck into the store's parking lot, Ethan pulled up beside her car. "Give me the key," he ordered.

Worried and concerned, she asked, "What for? I told you it won't start."

"You're wasting time with foolish questions. Do you want clean clothes tomorrow? Now give me the key," he demanded.

Ethan quickly transferred all their belongings to the back of his truck. After securing them so they wouldn't blow out, he made sure the car doors were locked.

He dropped her car key in his pocket, climbed into the truck, and pulled back out onto the highway. "Name?" he asked.

A quivering voice belied her attempt at appearing composed as she stated, "You don't fool around wasting time with a lot of words. Do you?"

In a firm voice that spoke volumes, "Lady, let's come to an early understanding. I don't believe in wasting time. I believe in saying what needs to be said, doing what needs to be done, and utilizing all available time to accomplish both. It's a real simple question. Name?"

Not knowing what to do or how to respond, she blurted out, "Christie."

Ethan pointedly replied, "Ok, Chris it is."

Irritated she quipped, "No, it's Christie, I don't like being called Chris."

"No offense Chris, but saying Christie is a waste of time. You already know how I feel about that. Until you start paying the bills, this is not a democracy. It will be Chris as long as I'm providing the helping hand."

When they came to the overpass, a group of homeless were huddled around what looked like a fire in an open barrel. The glow from the flames flickering out of the top created an almost eerie effect.

Just to drive his point home, Ethan slowed down so Christie could get a good look at the surreal sight. A cold shudder swept through her as she stared at the poor souls. Christie knew full well Ethan and his pick-up truck were the only things keeping her and her babies from becoming part of the group huddled around that barrel.

While looking out the passenger window, she informed him, "Chris will do just fine." At that moment, she hated him with her very soul. Her real fear? What would he demand next?

The kids had passed out before they even reached the overpass. Evidently it was way past their bedtime. "Your husband?" Ethan broke the silence again.

Her frustration showing, she sarcastically tried to gig him back in her own small off handed way. "Do you mean who is he, where is he, or what is he?"

Ethan smiled to himself. He admired her character, defiant until the bitter end. "Yep, that's what I mean," he replied.

"Well since you're making up the rules, could I please pass on answering that until later?" Chris pleaded.

Half snorting to show his disgust, "Suit yourself," he replied.

It wasn't a long drive, but the only sound they shared for the next few miles was the steady hum created by Ethan's oversized tires as they rolled along, over an asphalt highway. In the otherwise quiet solitude of the pick-up cab, each of them was momentarily lost, deep in their own thoughts.

Suddenly Ethan signaled a right hand turn.

Chris's heartbeat increased dramatically when the truck started slowing down. She had thought she was prepared for anything, but was scared to death as the truck turned onto a winding side road.

Although it was dark, she noticed there didn't seem to be many houses on the road. They wound their way around to what appeared to be a small housing addition.

As Ethan pulled the pick-up into the private drive of one of the homes,

almost shaking with fear, Chris asked, "Where are we?"

"Well since I'm making the rules, would it be alright if I pass on answering that until later... ? But let me ask you, does it really matter? Either you are at a safe place... or you are in deep shit. So move your butt and help me get these little ones inside and into a warm bed for the night. Then you'll have plenty of time to worry about yourself," he chided.

He couldn't help but grin, but she didn't notice. Her attention was focused on the house.

'Ohhh... he is a real asshole, ' she thought to herself, 'but damn it, he's right.' Sliding out the door, she stood on the running board and unbuckled her daughter.

For some strange reason, she felt a little better if he didn't touch her daughter. It dawned on her how stupid that was; he could be a gay pedophile. All of a sudden she wanted to hold both of her babies, but Ethan was already headed to the house with her son lying on his shoulder fast asleep.

Helplessly she hoisted up her daughter and gave rapid pursuit catching up to him as he unlocked and opened the front door. Just like the cab of the pick-up, the house was warm, comfortable, and she noticed, immaculate. Well, if nothing else, he was clean.

As Ethan kept going right on through the living room towards a hallway, Chris screeched, "Where are you going with my son?"

Ethan stopped, turned, and gave her a beleaguered look. "Chris, if I wanted to hurt you or your children there would be little you could do. So try to use a little common sense woman and go along with the program.

I would have to be stupid to try anything, there were witnesses at the diner. If something happened to you, I would be the first one they would come looking for. Now please try to relax and let's get your babies taken care of, then I'll answer any questions you care to ask."

Walking into one of the three bedrooms, Ethan asked, "Do you want your own bedroom or do you want to sleep in here with your kids?"

Almost before he finished speaking, she blurted out, "I'll sleep in here with my babies if you don't mind?" It was a rhetorical question.

"I expected that... and to be honest, I would do the same," he responded.

'Damn, don't go and get human on me, ' she thought.

Ethan dismantled a twin bed from the third bedroom and put it together in the kid's room for Chris. Getting out some sheets, he started to make up the beds; Chris jumped in and demanded to do it.

While Chris was making the beds, Ethan slipped out of the room and returned with a drill and lock set. Chris looked up, "What's that?"

"It's a slide bolt. I'm going to install it so you can double lock the door. That way, you'll feel safer and be able to get a good night's sleep."

As Ethan turned the chuck to open the drill, she placed her hand on his. "That won't be necessary. I think my common sense is starting to kick in."

"Ok then... ," Ethan said as he gathered up the tools, "I'll unload your stuff and bring in it in."

After he had everything unloaded and carried in, Chris smiled at him and sincerely said, "By the way, thank you."

"No problem, would you like a cup of coffee, soft drink, beer, anything?" he asked.

"Actually I'm exhausted. If you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed now, maybe in the morning?" she replied.

"Sorry, not in the morning. I have to be out early, got a lot to do tomorrow. I'll be gone before you and the little ones get up. After work I'll take you and the kids out to get a bite to eat." He informed her.

"What am I supposed to do while you are gone?" She couldn't help but ponder how weird the situation seemed.

"I understand, but until you get your feet on the ground and your life stabilized, then just bear with me. Make yourself at home, there is plenty of food, milk, soft drinks, and beer in the fridge. Take care of your kids, that's the most important thing right now. I'll see you if you're still here when I get home tomorrow." Ethan stated.

"What do you mean if I'm still here?" she asked.

"Chris, you look like you already have one foot out the door and the other in the air. I understand that you are scared and concerned, hell I would be too.

Just bear in mind, these two little ones are going to get cold and hungry on a regular basis. Wherever you go and whatever you decide, they will pay the price for any mistakes you make.

Now, I've got to get some sleep. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow. By the way, the bathroom is straight across the hall." With that said, Ethan shut the door behind him and headed off to bed.

Chris was left standing there dumbfounded. 'What's with this guy?' she wondered. 'One minute he seems to be attacking everything and everybody in sight, threatening and demanding to be Mr. Macho, then all of a sudden, he's totally understanding and human.

Could he be one of those psycho cases?' Chris nervously giggled at her own joke as she thought, 'A psycho doesn't live like this and go to this much trouble to help a stranger with two kids.

No, he's different, but he's real. Ok, so he's not an asshole, but he is a big jerk. I might not hate him, but I don't think I like him.'

Staring at the closed door for a moment, Chris walked over and turned the lock. After all, she wouldn't want to be considered stupid.

Ethan was jolted awake in the middle of the night. Did he hear a kid screaming? He lay there listening, all he could hear was muffled voices and a child whimpering. Evidently one of the kids was having a nightmare and Chris was consoling them.

He glanced at the alarm clock, it read four a.m... Ethan rolled over and went back to sleep.

The next afternoon, when Ethan pulled into the driveway it appeared Chris and the kids were still there. Either that or she forgot to turn off the kitchen light when they left.

As he walked in the door, a delicious aroma immediately piqued his curiosity. He smiled when the little ones went running to the kitchen screaming, "Mommy, mommy that man is back."

Chris appeared in the kitchen doorway with a dish towel in her hands and the two little ones hanging on to her legs. "Wash up, dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes," she said.

Ethan looked at her and nodded as he headed for his bedroom to clean up and change clothes.