Scare involved small stroke (6)
I believe the answer is:
caress
'stroke' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'scare involved small' is the wordplay.
'involved' indicates an anagram (involved can mean confusing or complex).
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'scare' anagrammed gives 'cares'.
'cares'+'s'='CARESS'
(Other definitions for caress that I've seen before include "Gentle loving touch" , "Expression of affection" , "Tenderly stroke" , "pet[s]" , "pet" .)