Free A Son's Vow by Shelley Shepard Gray

sorry, Mr. Ross. I promise, it won’t happen again.”
    â€œI’m not mad; I was worried about you.” Looking a bit chagrined, he added, “I was actually holding my phone, ready to call you before I realized that, of course, there was no way to do that.”
    â€œI’m so sorry you were so worried. I’ll go right in.”
    â€œWait a sec, Hannah,” Mr. Prince called out. “York, Hannaharriving late is my doing. Rose ran out of the house before I could get her leash on and she stopped right in front of poor Hannah. She thought Rose was going to attack. Scared her half to death.”
    â€œThat makes sense. Your dog is the size of a small pony.” To Hannah’s surprise, Mr. Ross reached out and rubbed the dog right between her eyes. “Silly girl.”
    As Rose closed her eyes in obvious enjoyment and leaned toward Mr. York, Mr. Prince added, “I told her that I thought she might be your famous babysitter.”
    Hannah stared at him in confusion. “Famous?”
    â€œI’m afraid we brag about you quite a bit,” Mr. Ross said. “Melissa and I think you’re a wonder.”
    â€œDanke.”
    â€œYou’re welcome. So, did Rob tell you that he lives next door?”
    She nodded.
    â€œI work from home,” Mr. Prince explained, “so if you ever need anything, you only have to knock on the door or call.”
    â€œOh.” She couldn’t imagine doing either but she smiled.
    â€œI’ll tell Melissa to leave out his number, Hannah,” Mr. Ross said. “If there’s an emergency, he’s just a few feet away.”
    Now that she wasn’t scared of Rose or a nervous wreck about getting in trouble with Mr. and Mrs. Ross, Hannah noticed that Mr. Prince was much closer to her age than she’d first thought. She wasn’t sure why she was glad about that, other than the fact that he seemed nice.
    Flustered by the direction of her thoughts, she stepped away. “I better go inside. Good-bye, Mr. Prince.”
    â€œIt’s Rob, okay?”
    â€œOkay. Rob.” Rose barked as Hannah darted inside, the sound followed by laughter.
    â€œRose says bye!”
    Rob’s comment was so silly, she found herself giggling as she faced Mrs. Ross and Christopher.
    â€œHannah, you’re here! Hooray!” Mrs. Ross said.
    â€œI’m sorry I’m late.” She was just about to repeat her excuses when Christopher giggled in his mother’s arms, then wiggled.
    To her amazement, Mrs. Ross set him down and then he rolled over. And rolled again!
    â€œChristopher, look at you!” Hannah exclaimed as she got on her knees and held out her hands to him. When he rolled again and treated her to a gummy grin, she laughed. “When did you learn to do this? What a smart boy!”
    â€œIsn’t he adorable? He figured out how to roll over on Saturday morning. Now, he doesn’t want to be held, he wants to roll on the floor! Oh, Hannah, I hope you ate a good breakfast. You’re going to get your exercise today.”
    Picking up the baby, Hannah set him in her lap and gave him a little hug. “ Jah , I am, for sure. He is doing a gut job.”
    Mrs. Ross smiled and grabbed her purse just as Mr. Ross came in through the front door. When he noticed Hannah sitting on the carpet with Christopher, he laughed. “We should have told you to get some kneepads. He’s a regular wiggle worm.”
    â€œI’ll do my best to keep up.”
    â€œI know you will. And Hannah?”
    She looked up at him. “Yes?”
    â€œRob really is a nice guy. You don’t have to worry about him or Rose.”
    â€œYou met Rose?” Mrs. Ross asked.
    â€œI’ll tell you all about it on the way to work. Bye, Hannah.”
    After going over her list of items for Hannah to do, Mrs. Ross said good-bye, too, leaving Christopher and Hannah sitting on the floor.
    After the garage door closed, Hannah