AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What was it like, losing your momma when you were just three? He’d never known his own dad, and his mom hadn’t been a shining example of parenthood, but she’d never pulled a stunt like Janet’s.
He’d assumed Katie’s temporary custody without hesitation, determined to keep her safe, his strong, instinctive need to protect a driving force that had served him well throughout his career. But she was a different sort of operation than he’d ever taken on before—mystifying, challenging and emotional, though no less dangerous. Because this time, he could so easily lose his heart.
He opened the door to find Dana and two kids, each barely visible behind the cardboard boxes and piles of bedding they carried.
“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner, but I knew you would have supper covered,” Dana said as she sidestepped past him into the kitchen.
“You knew?”
“The only problem after you left the Pink Petticoat Inn was how those women argued about who would come out today.” She dropped her load of boxes on the kitchen table, then turned to take the top box and pillow from the girl who followed her in. “These are my kids. Molly, eleven. Alex, fourteen. They’ve been badgering me all afternoon about coming up to meet our new neighbors.”
And without that, you probably wouldn’t have come, he realized. Which was no more than he deserved.
“Nice to meet you.” He offered a hand to Alex after the boy set his load of boxes on the floor.
“Hello.” The boy’s voice was still at that rusty precipice of manhood, but he was already a good five foot eight and met Zach’s gaze with a measuring look. His handshake was that of a kid who knew responsibility and wanted respect for it.
Molly made no pretensions of maturity. She danced from one foot to the other with a broad smile on her face. “She’s sooo cute!” Reaching forward, she danced her fingers up Katie’s leg, then landed on her tummy with a brief, butterfly-light tickle.
Zach steeled himself for a howl of outrage, but instead Katie relaxed against him and a faint chuckle vibrated through her.
“You’ve got your work cut out for you.” Dana walked through the kitchen, opening and shutting drawers and doors. “I’ve kept things clean here, but there’s still a lot to do.”
“I’ll manage. Thanks for all the loans.”
She bent over one of the boxes on the floor. “We’ll help put things away, and then it will be done. Alex, you make the beds.” She nudged a box with her foot. “Molly, you put the food away.”
Without waiting for an answer, Dana began stowing basic utensils, a mismatched set of china, and some cookware. Zach took over another box and stored an assortment of glasses and mugs in the cupboard by the sink.
“We brought over just a few basics—bread, milk, eggs, some canned goods. Enough to see you through until you can get to the store.”
“If you need something, you can always call us. We’re the closest ranch,” Molly chimed in as she wedged the gallon of milk between the casseroles in the refrigerator.
“The household goods are from our foreman’s cabin,” Dana said. “We don’t have one anymore, so you might as well hang on to all of this until you move away. No sense buying anything new.”
She emptied the last box, then tossed it on top of the others at the back door. “See? Took just a minute.” Then, apparently checking through a mental list, she braced her hands on her slender hips and frowned. “Let’s see...if you want the local paper, you can pick one up in town and get the address.”
“We used to get it, but we can’t anymore,” Molly interjected.
“There’s trash service out here, but it’s expensive. You might want to use the burning barrel out back for all you can.” Dana tugged a business card from the back pocket of her jeans. “Here’s our number, in case of emergency. Will you have a landline?”
“No. Just my cell.” Zach grabbed a pen from the counter and jotted his new number on a scrap of paper. He wanted to ask her why their foreman was gone. Why they couldn’t afford the newspaper anymore. Where her husband was, maybe. But Dana was already at the door, mission accomplished and keys jingling in her hand.
And there really wasn’t much point. His cover was already in place—his software career, his supposed status as Katie’s dad. There was no future for him here.
As soon as Alex reappeared in the kitchen after making the beds, Dana lifted her keys. “We should go, kids. I’m sure these two have had a long day.”
Though he knew he shouldn’t ask, and knew what she would say, he found himself asking anyway. “I’ve got a ton of food in the fridge. Would you three like to join us for supper?”
“We still have kennel chores, horse chores...Molly has a calf to feed...” She spared him a brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You should store the extra casseroles in the freezer.”
He shifted his attention to Molly, who looked crestfallen, and Alex, who was studying his mother as if she’d just morphed into an alien.
“I can’t freeze the salads,” Zach pointed out. “They look mighty good, but they won’t all keep with just Katie and me here.”
“Please, Mom? I could play with Katie or set the table. I’ll help with dishes.” Molly folded her hands in front of her as if in prayer. “Pleeease?”
“Yeah, Mom. We’ll do chores when we get home. It doesn’t take that long. We didn’t even have a chance to talk to Mr. Forrester.”
