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But what?
“Luke? What are you doing here?” She laughed as her head tilted to the side. She wasn’t really surprised to see him because he and Molly were regulars for Sunday lunch.
A truck pulled up beside him, the window rolled down. His sister-in-law had her elbow perched on the edge of the open area, a small smile gracing her face. Brent had married up with Jackie and everyone knew it. The preacher’s daughter, the best cook in town—except for Pippa, of course—and beautiful to boot. She was the strongest, most genuine person Luke had the pleasure of knowing which was why he didn’t mind handing over the reins of the ranching business to his brother in its entirety.
“Oh, you know,” Luke murmured, “It’s lunch time. And Molly thinks I’m a terrible cook.”
“That’s because you are,” Brent called from the driver’s seat. “What makes you think we’ll be willing to share? Maybe I want it all for myself this time. Leftovers would be nice every now and then.”
Jackie faced him, probably to give him one of her looks that told him to keep his mouth shut. She turned toward Luke again. “You know you’re always welcome. Lucky for you, I put a roast in the crock pot early this morning. It should be just about done if you and Molly want to join us.” She peered around the truck, her gaze sweeping the area. “Where is she?”
Luke chuckled. “I’ll give you one guess.”
“Well, you let her know that lunch will be ready in ten. Then she has to leave that poor horse alone and come eat.”
“Will do.”
Brent pulled the vehicle forward and into the waiting garage. The back doors opened and Luke’s niece and nephew hopped out. Brent had the perfect family—the kind that if Luke wasn’t careful, he’d be jealous of.
It wasn’t hard to imagine the kind of mother Shellie would have been for Molly. That woman loved kids more than anyone he knew—well, maybe not as much as Allie. Now, that was a woman who had known she wanted to teach children since she was one.
Allie’s pretty face filled his thoughts. Her splash of red hair seemed to compliment her green eyes in a way that seemed almost unnatural. The combination had been something Allie abhorred when she was younger, but as she aged, her beauty only increased.
But it wasn’t her eyes or her hair that stood out to Luke. No, if he were pressed, he would say that it was the dusting of flawless freckles across her nose that made her stand out.
What was he thinking? Allie was his sister’s friend. He’d grown up with her. Never in his whole life had he considered her looks to be anything of consequence. And suddenly she kept popping up in his thoughts.
Something had to be wrong with him. It probably had something to do with Molly turning nine last week. That had to be it. Her birthday was the definition of bittersweet. The anniversary of his wife’s death and the celebration of his daughter’s existence.
That day alone was the one day a year he never knew if he’d come out stronger on the other end until he did.
Luke was just missing his wife. That was all.
He pushed away from his truck with the intention of tracking down his daughter, but she came skipping out of the barn at that very moment, a smile as wide as the Mississippi on her face.
“Dad! Snowshoe was so excited to see me today. I think she’s really starting to like me.”
“I don’t doubt it, kiddo.” He held out his hand and she took it.
“I bet she likes me more than Casey and Danielle.”
“Don’t tell your cousins that,” he chuckled. “They might start spending more time with Snowshoe just so they can say she likes them better.”
Molly’s eyes went wide. “Do you really think so?”
He moved his hand to her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. “I haven’t a clue. But it’s probably not a very nice thing to point out anyway.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” They headed for the house and Molly’s footsteps slowed. “Dad, can I ask you something?”
Immediately his heart stopped. This was it. The conversation he knew he was bound to have about her mother or the fact that he’d never remarried. It was one of those things that sat in the back of his mind waiting for the bomb to be detonated.
The worst part was he had no answers for any of the questions he expected her to ask.
“When will I get my own horse?”
He blinked as he gazed down at his precious daughter. “What?”
“A horse. Casey and Danielle got their first horses when they were seven. And I’m nine, now. When will I get to have my own?”
