Free Profile of Fear: Book Four of the Profile Series (Volume 4) by Alexa Grace Page A

foster family for a two-year-old.”
    “Then what happens to Becca?”
    “If I’m lucky I’ll find a group home that will take her. I have to tell you, a foster home already filled with teenagers is no place for a toddler. But I don’t know what else I can do if I can’t find foster parents for her.”
    Cameron pushed back in his chair, took a deep breath, and thought of how Becca had clung to him for safety. She was so young and had no good reason to trust anyone, but she had trusted him. He remembered how Becca had screamed his name, begging him not to leave her, when he was pushed out of her examining room. She counted on him, and by God he was going to man up and be the one who helped her, no matter what he had to do. She’d never been able to count on anyone for her safety and well-being. That was about to change.
    “I want to be a foster parent to Becca. I can provide her an excellent home. Just tell me what I need to do.”
    Surprised, the social worker looked at him as if he’d sprouted antlers from the top of his head. “ You want to be a foster parent?”
    “Yes. You seem surprised.”
    “It’s just that… I mean you don’t look like the kind of man who would want to give up his lifestyle for all the responsibility that caring for a toddler entails.
    “Exactly what kind of a lifestyle do you think I have?”
    Melanie began to stutter. “I m-m-mean… You’re very good-looking. I imagine you have better ways to spend your time.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
    Okay, now he was offended. What the hell? She was going to judge his potential as a parent solely on his looks? “You’d be making a big mistake assuming things about me based on my looks. Why don’t you ask me the kind of questions you usually ask people, attractive or not, who volunteer to foster a child?”
    Nervously pushing her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose, her face now blushed crimson. “I apologize. You’re right. Why do you want to be a foster parent to Becca Hicks?”
    Cameron considered the question thoughtfully. Hell, until minutes ago, he’d never considered being a parent to anyone. “I grew up in a good home brought up by a single mother who was an amazing role model. If I can be half the parent my mom was, Becca will be in very good hands.”
    Melanie only nodded. “Why Becca Hicks?”
    It’s a good thing Brody wasn’t in the room because he’d give his little speech about Cam wanting to save the world. “Becca has lived with her meth-addicted, sorry excuse for a mother for the first two years of her life. She’s a toddler who has had no one to protect her from harm, or take care of her physical and emotional needs. It’s time the kid caught a break. If you appoint me as her foster parent, I intend to change all that. I’ll give her all the love and attention a kid could want, along with the kind of home where she’ll thrive.”
    There was a hint of a grin at the edge of the social worker’s mouth. “I see. Tell me about where you live, where you could provide a home for a toddler to thrive.”
    “I live on 162 acres of land that my parents left to my two brothers and me. The property is like a nature preserve with woods, hills, valleys, two lakes, and miles of running trails, with absolute privacy. It’s the perfect place for a kid. My dad built the main house with the idea it could be turned into a bed and breakfast or a nature lodge when he and mom retired. There are five bedroom suites within the main house. My younger brother, Gabe, his fiancée Kaitlyn, and I live in the main house, along with a chocolate Labrador retriever named Godiva. My suite is downstairs and has a bedroom, a living room, kitchenette, and two bathrooms. The main house also has a huge family area, kitchen, and dining room, with an outside living area.”
    “Are you able to child-proof the living areas?”
    “Absolutely.” Cameron made a mental note to research how to child-proof a home.
    “Does Sheriff Chase also live on