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“Bring your gear,” she told him. “You might as well move right in.”
He wondered if Kara Brand ever did anything for herself. Was she as kind and giving as she seemed? As she had always been in the past? Time, he decided, would tell.
* * *
Betty Lou Jennings was smiling when Kara walked up the sidewalk toward where she waited near the front door. The house was a large double-decker square with a roof. Nothing fancy. Not built in any particular style. It was white, with the front door smack center of its face between two bay windows, and its back door on the far right side in the rear. The place was backed by aspen trees, their leaves golden in the winter sun. No snow on the ground, of course. They didn’t get much snow in Oklahoma as a rule, but Big Falls got more than most other places in the state. There had been a frost last night, though, and Kara could see her breath making little puffs in the air. At least the wind wasn’t blowing this morning.
The round little woman held up a key ring with two keys and shook it to make it jingle. “I’m so pleased the bank approved your loan, Kara. All we have to do is sign the papers and this place is yours.”
Betty Lou must adore the Brands, Kara thought. She’d sold the most expensive house in town a little more than a year ago to Edie. And now she was unloading what was probably its polar opposite on Edie’s little sister. Betty Lou had bought the place from Jimmy Corona, through lawyers, after his father left it to him five years ago, and had been holding it and probably losing money on it ever since.
Kara turned at the sound of another vehicle. Jimmy Corona’s white pickup truck pulled in. It was a Durango, tough-looking and big. Reminded her of a feisty white horse in some odd, obscure way. Something about the shape of its hood. Or maybe it only did because it had come galloping into town bearing a handsome hero.
He got out, smooth and easy, walked around to the passenger side and opened the door to lift Tyler down to the ground, then he handed the boy his crutches. A second later a red SUV pulled in behind him, and Colby Benton got out.
Tyler made his way over the smooth path to the door, his jacket making the crutches even more awkward than usual, Kara thought. His dad and Colby came along behind him. When Jim met Kara’s eyes, his were warm, and he was smiling, and she had to remind herself he exuded that natural charm with everyone he met, not just with her.
“Mr. Corona!” Betty Lou shot worried looks from Jimmy to Kara and back again. “Oh, my, I hope this isn’t going to be a problem.”
“It’s not,” Jimmy told her. “Relax, Betty Lou. Kara and I have it all worked out Depending on what kind of shape the place is in, of course.”
“This is it?” Tyler asked, looking at the place doubtfully.
“Yep,” Jimmy said. “Hey, it doesn’t look like much now, but—”
“Heck, it looks like heaven to me after being cooped up in the boarding house,” Colby put in. “And with a fresh coat of paint–”
“And some Christmas decorations,” Tyler said loudly.
“You’ve got that right, Tyler,” Kara said. Then to Jimmy, “The inside’s not bad at all. Betty Lou’s kept it in great shape.”
“That’s right,” Betty Lou said. “It’s fully furnished. The last couple who rented it only moved out a month ago. And everything from the sofa to the carpeting has been cleaned. Heat and power are still on. You know letting a place get damp can cost you.” As she spoke, she led the way up the two concrete steps to the front door.
“I think it needs a porch,” Kara said. “A nice big front porch. Don’t you think so, Tyler?”
Tyler looked up at her, frowning as if deep in thought. “If it had a porch, you could put a swing on it. And the dog could lay there sometimes. That would be good.”
“But I don’t have a dog, Tyler.”
He tipped his head to one side. “But now that you have your own house, you’ll prob’ly get one, won’t you?”
She couldn’t help but smile and she forgot to worry about tripping as she walked up the two steps with Tyler at her side. “You know, I might just do that.” She kept one hand close to him but not touching. She didn’t want to make him feel as if she were hovering, but she did want to be ready to help him should he stumble.
Jim stood behind them. “Ty, before we go in, come with me, huh? I want to show you the backyard.”
Tyler turned. Kara glanced at the uneven ground the boy would have to walk over and frowned a little, wondering if it would be too much for him. “I’ll come, too. Betty Lou, go ahead and unlock the place. You can leave the keys and the paperwork in the kitchen. Okay?”
“Well, sure, hon.” Betty Lou tipped her head to one side. “I have two sets of keys. I take it you’ll be needing them both?”
Kara pursed her lips. Betty Lou was fishing for information, wondering what was going on between her and the former high school hunk. “Well, it’s that or keep a set for yourself, and you won’t be needing them,” Kara said with a smile. “When you go in, would you unlock the back door for us?”
Colby said, “I’ll get our gear inside.”
Kara nodded her thanks, then joined Tyler and Jimmy, and the three of them started around the house.
Jim mypaused, and Kara saw him notice that his son was having trouble negotiating the lawn on those crutches. He hunkered down. “How about a piggyback ride?”
“Ican do it, Dad.” Tyler seemed a little miffed at his dad for offering to help him. He continued moving over the grass, but it was clearly an effort. His little face was getting red.
