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“Dana, are you there?”
“I’m a thirty-three-year-old professional woman, Mom. It’s thoughtful of you to offer advice, but I need to make my own decisions, okay? And right now, I need to get back to making supper.”
Long after she hung up, Dana rested her palms on the counter and stared at the lettuce she’d decimated during the phone call.
However abrasive or calculating her mother could be, she did have a point.
It would be all too easy to be lured by Zach Forrester’s potent charm and devilish grin. She’d have to take care. He had a career in Dallas; she had total commitment to her kids, the ranch, and her practice. There truly was no way to compromise.
Going beyond being just friends and neighbors would be a painful mistake.
* * * *
“YOU BOUGHT what?” Dana looked at Zach across her dining room table in frank amazement. “Because why?”
He grinned back at her. “I think geese are fascinating. And peacocks—amazing creatures, don’t you think?”
“That’s cool!” Molly announced, a spoonful of strawberry shortcake halfway to her mouth.
They’d grilled massive steaks and had polished off baked potatoes and tender ears of early sweet corn. Zach couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed a meal more.
“Do you have any idea how noisy they are?” Dana set aside her half-finished dessert. “How territorial?”
Yes, indeed. “I just figured they’d be interesting to watch.”
“Will they even let Katie play outside?”
“The entire yard is fenced, but there’s also a fence dividing the front and back. I can herd the peacock and geese to the backyard and lock the gate.”
“Good plan, because they sure can be aggressive. We’ve had geese that would chase horses away from the feeders. One old gander even intimidated our younger bulls.”
“Until one of them finally got fed up and hooked him over the fence,” Alex pointed out with relish. “Broke that—”
“Alex!” Dana interrupted sharply. “We don’t need the details right now.”
Francie, seated to Zach’s left, rolled her eyes. “Peacocks scream like a dying woman, and you can hear ’em a half mile away. Maybe Martha will give you a refund if you bring those birds back.”
Katie, who’d climbed onto his lap a few minutes ago, twisted around to look up at him, her eyes filled with silent worry.
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Martha said she’d take them back when we leave the area, but I think we’ll keep them until then. Okay?”
She nodded, then snuggled closer to whisper in his ear. “Can I see the pony? And the puppies?”
Molly jumped out of her chair. “I’ll take her.”
“Not just yet, young lady,” Dana said. “Who’s on dishes tonight?”
“But Mo-om,” she pleaded, drawing the name out into several agonized syllables. “Katie wants to go, and I did catch the pony for her. Can’t I take her now? Please?”
Francie stood up and gathered the plates and utensils within reach. “I’ll wash, Molly dries, and Alex can put things away. Deal?”
Alex moaned. Molly scowled. But they both dutifully began clearing the table.
Zach swallowed the last of his coffee and took in the warm, welcoming atmosphere of Dana’s kitchen—the soft yellow walls, the airy curtains. The refrigerator plastered with old school notices and pictures and lists of things to do.
A project of Molly’s, involving clay and poster paints and a rainbow of construction paper, dominated the dining room, so they’d eaten at the kitchen table instead.
The comfortable setting and constant family banter were as foreign to Zach as upscale Dallas restaurants would have been to Molly and Alex, but he had no doubt as to who had the better deal.
