So Many Men... Read Online Free Page A

told them about it.”
    “Will you come? I’m happy to pick you up, if you need a ride.”
    “I can find my own ride.”
    He hadn’t said he’d come. Even if he had, the oddswere against Rafe sticking with the program. Mason felt a flicker of disappointment. “Well, let me know if not. It’s no trouble to swing by to get you on my way.”
    “It’s all good. We’ll see what’s going down.” Rafe stood, stretching his six feet two inches of lanky muscle, the lines of the man he’d become already evident. “I’ve got to head out.”
    Mason nodded. “We still on for some Hurricanes football?”
    A wide smile spread across the young man’s face. For just a moment the premature aging around his eyes faded and he appeared the carefree youth he should have been. He spiked an imaginary football. “Orange Bowl? You know I wouldn’t miss it.”
    Hope filled Mason as Rafe sauntered down the path through the park. Maybe there was a chance he’d beat the odds, after all.
    “He’s lucky to have you.”
    Mason started at the feminine voice behind him. He turned, surprised to see the unforgettable redhead from the DCWC meeting.
    “Hello.” She extended her hand and smiled. “I’m Tess McClellan.”
    Inexplicable heat suffused him. His pulse raced. He stared at her, caught in the beauty of her smile until he belatedly grabbed her hand and pumped with more exuberance than necessary.
    Pink rose in her cheeks. “I was at the Dade County Women’s Club luncheon for your talk the other day.”
    “Yes, of course, I remember you.”
    Why was she here? He willed his pulse to calm and stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent furtherspastic behavior. At twenty-nine he’d somehow become an awkward teen again.
    “I hope you don’t mind that I tracked you down. Cassie Aikens gave me your office number, and when I called, your receptionist told me I could find you here.”
    Muffled musical notes sounded from inside her purse. She dug a cell phone from it. “Excuse me a moment.”
    Turning aside she spoke in quiet tones to the caller. “Hi, Evan… I’m not sure… I’ll be back later this afternoon… Ramon has dinner covered… I have to go… Okay, bye.” She stowed the phone back in her purse. “I’m sorry about that.”
    “No problem. So, Tess, I assume you want to hear more about the project.”
    Up close, she was even more compelling than she’d been from a distance. Not exactly pretty—though the blue of her eyes was stunning—she was entrancing in an uncommon way. When was the last time he’d been this excited, this pleased, to see a woman—and one he didn’t even know at that?
    She smiled, revealing a small dimple in her left cheek, as she nodded. “I wanted to see for myself what it was all about.” She pulled on her fingers—her ringless fingers. “I didn’t want to disturb you, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
    “Rafe has had a difficult time, like so many of these kids. They each have a story—some born addicted to crack, some who’ve lost a parent to an overdose, some with HIV-infected parents, more times than not from needles they found in the trash.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to believe they don’t know better. It’s a pity to seepeople unable to care, especially with kids like Rafe counting on them.”
    “I can’t even imagine.”
    Memories of his own childhood flashed through Mason’s mind: the morning his mother took off without saying goodbye; his father drinking himself to death shortly afterward; being passed from uncle to uncle until he emancipated himself at sixteen. “Well, I never had it as hard as Rafe, but I can imagine.”
    Her gaze softened, and for a moment warmth seemed to flow from her, blanketing him in a sense of well-being. Unbidden, his feet moved him a step closer to her.
    “So, you arrange activities for these kids to keep them off the streets?”
    “That’s part of it. We have regular workshops to educate them on drug